[Effect of exercise habits and lifestyles on changes in physical fitness in medical college students: a 3-year follow-up study].

This follow-up study investigated the relationship between changes in physical fitness and exercise habits during the 1st and 4th years in healthy medical college students. We also investigated the relation between exercise habits and the lifestyle factors during the same period of time. The subjects were 229 male and 126 female student volunteers who received physical fitness tests and questionnaires (lifestyles and exercise habits) in both the 1st and 4th years. The results were as follows: 1. A significant association between increment in physical fitness and exercise habits was shown by the fitness score in the 1st year, and the intensity and frequency of exercise in the 4th year in males. In females, an association was found in the intensity of exercise during the 1st year, and frequency of exercise during the 4th year. The intensity in 4th year among males (odds ratio(OR): 2.80, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33-5.87) and the frequency during the 4th year among females (OR: 5.63, 95% CI: 2.36-13.43) were associated with a higher odds ratios for improvement in physical fitness than other factors related to exercise habits in 4th year medical students. 2. In the association between exercise habits related to increment in physical fitness and other lifestyles, a significant association was admitted between the intensity of exercise and the frequency of eating breakfast during the 4th year in males (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.11-4.28). These results suggested that the intensity of exercise during the 4th year in males and the frequency of exercise during the 4th year in females were associated with increments in physical fitness for follow-up. A lifestyle factor related to the intensity in exercise habits has been suggested to be the frequency of eating breakfast (more than 5 days/week) in males.