Physical activity and functional capacity and normal-weight, overweight and obese Greek young adults

Abstract

Objective: The aims of this study were to present information regarding the physical activity (PA) profile, functional capacity (FC) status and body composition of normal-weight, overweight and obese young Greeks, to investigate the impact of overweight and obesity on the subjects’ PA and FC and to explore possible interrelations between their anthropometric characteristics, PA and FC. Method: Sixty-two healthy, Greek young adults (27 males), with a mean age of 23.9 ± 3.9 years, attended a single testing session during which they were subjected to anthropometric and physiological measurements, they completed the Greek version of the Short International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SGR) and they performed two six-minute walk tests (6MWT) using a standardised protocol. Analysis of variance and post hoc analysis was used to investigate possible differences between the three groups, while bivariate correlational techniques were used to assess possible interrelations between the subjects’ anthropometric characteristics, their PA and FC. Results: During the 6MWT, overweight subjects walked significantly further (624.0 ± 88.8 m) than obese subjects (544.9 ± 108.4 m) (p<0.01). No significant differences were observed between the three groups regarding IPAQ scores. Significant associations were mainly detected between the subjects’ anthropometric characteristics and 6MWT-related variables. Conclusions: The FC of normal and overweight subjects appeared to be similar and better than that of obese subjects, while, all subjects, regardless of BMI categorisation, were found to have similar PA profiles. This study further supports the association between obesity indices and functional capacity.