Adherence to health-related fitness tests in working-aged adults—who are we (not) measuring?

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to examine the adherence to selected health-related fitness (HRF) tests in adults. In addition, we investigated how excluded participants or those who did not attend HRF tests differed in their background characteristics from those who attended. Methods: Two population study samples comprising 3867 (1594 males) 20─69-year-old participants performing HRF tests, or 1249 (456 males) participants answering only the study questionnaire, were pooled for the analyses. The selected HRF tests were: one-leg stand, neck-shoulder mobility, jump-and-reach, modified push-ups, and 6-min walking test. The exclusion rate was analyzed separately for each test. Results: In total, 14.9% of the participants were excluded from at least one test. Failure to meet the health criteria and unwillingness to perform the test were the most typical reasons for the exclusion. The exclusion rate was highest in the modified push-up test (13.2%), while in all other tests, the rate was less than 5%. Excluded participants were more likely (p < 0.001) older (46–69 years) (OR = 4.59), not meeting physical activity recommendations for endurance (OR = 2.28) and perceiving their health (OR = 3.69) and fitness (OR = 3.26) as poor. Similarly, participants who answered only the questionnaire were more likely (p < 0.01) to perceive their health (OR = 1.56) and fitness (OR = 1.41) as poor and not meeting physical activity recommendations for endurance (OR = 1.48). Conclusions: The assessed HRF tests were feasible in terms of low exclusion rates. Individuals that were excluded or not participating the tests differed in their background characteristics from those who attended highlighting the importance of feasible testing methods to achieve a representative population sample of participants.