Download PDF
Int J Sports Med 2006; 27(8): 642-647
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-872907
Training & Testing

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Physical Performance, Body Weight and BMI of Young Adults in Germany 2000 - 2004: Results of the Physical-Fitness-Test Study

D. Leyk1 , 3 , U. Rohde1 , W. Gorges1 , D. Ridder2 , M. Wunderlich3 , C. Dinklage3 , A. Sievert3 , T. Rüther3 , D. Essfeld3
  • 1Department IV - Military Ergonomics and Exercise Physiology, Central Institute of the Federal Armed Forces Medical Services Koblenz, Koblenz, Germany
  • 2FGAN-Research Institute for Communication, Information Processing, and Ergonomics, Wachtberg, Germany
  • 3Department of Physiology and Anatomy, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Accepted after revision: September 12, 2005

Publication Date:
24 November 2005 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

In westernized countries the sedentary lifestyle in conjunction with a hypercaloric diet has caused an increase in the number of obese adults. Moreover, recent studies suggest that the prevalence of overweight in children increased during the last decade. However, the literature has to be interpreted with some caution since the majority of epidemiological studies examining health, fitness, and obesity rely on self-reported data rather than measurements. A further limitation is that most studies examine either physical activity or nutrition, only few deal with both aspects simultaneously. In the present study we analyzed both aspects in more than 58 000 persons aged between 17 and 26 years. All of them were applicants for the German Bundeswehr, which accepts only volunteers with school leaving certificates and a body mass index (BMI) below 30 kg · m-2. The admitted subjects performed a Physical-Fitness-Test (PFT) consisting of 5 simple sport tests (shuttle run, sit-ups, push-ups, standing jump, Cooper test). For 23 000 subjects additional measurements of body height and body weight as well as information about their education level were available. These data were combined with the PFT results. We found large deficits in the physical fitness of young adults: More than 37 % of the participants failed to pass the PFT, with failure rates of the male volunteers increasing significantly since 2001. While the female volunteers showed virtually constant body weight and BMI, the corresponding values of men increased monotonously between the age of 17 and 26 years. Physical fitness was positively, BMI negatively correlated with education level. The present findings suggest that body weight increases and fitness decreases in non-obese young adults in Germany. Despite the correlations between BMI and physical fitness the terms “overweight” and “physically unfit” should not be regarded as synonyms.

Key words

Physical fitness - obesity - education level - gender - epidemiology

References

  • 1 Allison D B, Nannolli R, Narayan K M. The direct health care costs of obesity in the United States.  Am J Public Health. 1999;  89 1194-1199
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 2 Beer-Borst S, Morabia A, Hercberg S, Vitek O, Bernstein M S, Galan P, Galasso R, Giampaoli S, Houterman S, McCrum E, Panico S, Pannozzo F, Preziosi P, Ribas L, Serra-Majem L, Verschuren W MM, Yarnell J, Northridge M E. Obesity and other health determinants across Europe: The EURALIM Project.  J Epidemiol Commun Health. 2000;  54 424-430
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 3 Birmingham C L, Muller J L, Palepu A, Spinelli J J, Anis A H. The cost of obesity in Canada.  CMAJ. 1999;  160 483-488
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 4 Blair S N, Church T S. The fitness, obesity, and health equation. Is physical activity the common denominator?.  JAMA. 2004;  292 1232-1234
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 5 Church T S, Cheng Y J, Earnest C P, Barlow C E, Gibbons L W, Priest E L, Blair S N. Exercise capacity and body composition as predictors of mortality among men with diabetes.  Diabetes Care. 2004;  27 83-88
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 6 Colditz G, Mariani (eds) A. The Cost of Obesity and Sedentarism in the United States. Champaign; Human Kinetics 2000
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 7 Flegal K M, Carroll M D, Ogden C L, Johnson C L. Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999 - 2000.  JAMA. 2002;  288 1723-1727
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 8 Flegal K M, Carroll M D, Kuczmarski R J, Johnson C L. Overweight and obesity in the United States: prevalence and trends, 1960 - 1994.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1998;  22 39-47
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 9 Finkelstein E, Fiebelkorn I, Wang G. National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: How much, and who's paying?.  Health Aff. 2003;  W‐3 219-226
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 10 Giammattei J, Blix G, Marshak H H, Wollitzer A O, Pettitt D J. Television watching and soft drink consumption. Associations with obesity in 11- to 13-year-old schoolchildren.  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;  157 882-886
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 11 Graf C, Koch B, Kretschmann-Kandel E, Falkowski G, Christ H, Coburger S, Lehmacher W, Bjarnason-Wehrens B, Platen P, Tokarski W, Predel H G, Dordel S. Correlation between BMI, leisure habits and motor abilities in childhood (CHILT-Project).  Int J Obes. 2004;  28 22-26
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 12 Heini A F, Weinsier R L. Divergent trends in obesity and fat intake patterns: the American paradox.  Am J Med. 1997;  102 259-264
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 13 Hill J O, Peters J C. Environmental contribution to the obesity epidemic.  Science. 1998;  280 1371-1374
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 14 Klein S, Sheard N F, Pi-Sunyer X, Daly A, Wylie-Rosett J, Kulkarni K, Clark N G. Weight management through lifestyle modification for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes: rationale and strategies. A statement of the American Diabetes Association, the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, and the American Society for Clinical Nutrition.  Am J Clin. 2004;  80 257-263
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 15 Kruger J, Galuska D A, Serdula M K, Kohl III H W. Physical activity profiles of US adults trying to lose weight: NHIS 1998.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005;  37 364-368
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 16 Mikrozensus 2003 .Leben und Arbeiten in Deutschland. Ergebnisse des Mikrozensus 2003. Wiesbaden; Statistisches Bundesamt 2004
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 17 Mokdad A H, Bowman B A, Ford E S, Vinicor F, Marks J S, Koplan J P. The continuing epidemics of obesity and diabetes in the United States.  JAMA. 2001;  286 1195-1200
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 18 Mokdad A H, Serdula M K, Dietz W H, Bowman B A, Marks J S, Koplan J P. The spread of the obesity epidemic in the United States, 1991 - 1998.  JAMA. 1999;  282 1519-1522
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 19 Müller M J, Mast M, Asbeck I, Langnäse K, Grund A. Prevention of obesity - is it possible?.  Obes Rev. 2001;  2 15-28
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 20 Ogden C L, Flegal K M, Carroll M D, Johnson C L. Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and dolescents, 1999 - 2000.  JAMA. 2002;  288 1728-1732
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 21 Patrick K, Norman G J, Calfas K J, Sallis J F, Zabinski M F, Rupp J, Cella J. Diet, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors as risk factors for overweight in adolescence.  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;  158 385-390
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 22 Peters J C, Wyatt H R, Donahoo W T, Hill J O. From instinct to intellect: the challenge of maintaining healthy weight in the modern world.  Obes Rev. 2002;  3 69-74
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 23 Reich A, Müller G, Gelbirch G, Deutscher K, Gödicke R, Kiess W. Obesity and blood pressure - results from the examination of 2365 schoolchildren in Germany.  Int J Obes. 2003;  27 1459-1464
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 24 Reilly J J, Jackson D M, Montgomery C, Kelly L A, Slater C, Gant S, Patron J Y. Total energy expenditure and physical activity in young Scottish children: mixed longitudinal study.  Lancet. 2004;  363 211-212
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 25 Robinson T N. Television viewing and childhood obesity.  Pediatr Clin N Am. 2001;  48 1017-1025
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 26 Rocchini A P. Childhood obesity and a diabetes epidemic.  N Engl J Med. 2002;  346 802-810
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 27 Rolland-Cachera M F, Bellistle F. No correlation between adiposity and food intake: why are working class children fatter?.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1986;  45 779-787
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 28 Rowland M L. Self-reported weight and height.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;  52 1125-1133
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 29 Sobal J, Stunkard A J. Socioeconomic status and obesity: a review of the literature.  Psychol Bull. 1989;  105 260-275
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 30 Strauss R S, Pollack H A. Epidemic increase in childhood overweight.  JAMA. 2001;  286 2845-2848
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 31 Troiano R P, Flegal K M, Kuczmarski R J, Campbell S M, Johnson C L. Overweight prevalence and trends for children and adolescents: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1963 to 1991.  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1995;  318 1085-1091
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 32 Weinsier R L, Hunter G R, Beini A F, Goran M I, Sell S M. The etiology of obesity: relative contribution of metabolic factors, diet, and physical activity.  Am J Med. 1998;  105 145-150
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 33 Weinstein A R, Sesso H D, Lee I M, Cook N R, Manson J E, Buring J E, Gaziano J M. Relationship of physcial activity vs. body mass index with type 2 diabetes in women.  JAMA. 2004;  292 1188-1194
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 34 Whitaker R C, Wright J A, Pepe M S, Seidel K D, Dietz W H. Predicting obesity in young adulthood form childhood and parental obesity.  N Engl J Med. 1997;  337 869-873
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 35 Wolf A M, Colditz G A. Social and economic effects of body weight in the United States.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;  63 466-469
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 36 World Health Organisation .Obesity. Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO Consultation. Vol. i - xii. Geneva; WHO 2000: 1-253
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 37 Zimmet P, Alberti K GMM, Shaw J. Global and societal implications of the diabetes epidemic.  Nature. 2001;  414 782-787
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar

Priv.-Doz Dr. Dr. Dieter Leyk

Department of Physiology and Anatomy
German Sport University Cologne

Carl-Diem-Weg 6

50933 Cologne

Germany

Phone: + 4922149823730

Fax: + 49 2 21 49 82 67 20

Email: Leyk@dshs-koeln.de