Health-related physical fitness profile in university Physical Education students
Keywords:
health-related physical fitness; cardiorespiratory component; muscular component; body composition; sex differences.Abstract
Health-related physical fitness (HRPF) is one of the indicators most sensitive to the university lifestyle, since its cardiorespiratory, muscular, and morphological components reflect both the functional capacity and the cardiometabolic risk of young people in training (Caspersen et al., 1985). The Physical Education, Recreation and Sports program at Universidad del Atlántico did not previously have an updated profile jointly characterizing these three components, which limited the design of curricular and wellness strategies grounded in institution-specific evidence. The aim of this study was to determine the health-related physical fitness profile of the program's students and to establish whether differences exist according to sex. Fifty-eight students (24 men and 34 women) enrolled in the formative sports course took part. Results showed a significantly better performance among men in all cardiorespiratory and muscular indicators assessed, whereas body mass index and waist circumference showed no significant differences between sexes, although differences were found in skinfold thickness, and no differences were observed in speed-agility. These findings provide original empirical evidence, previously absent in this institutional context, that is relevant for guiding health promotion and curricular design in the training of physical education teachers.
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