Inter-generation transmission of physical fitness in the Canadian population.

Body weight, height, body mass index, skinfold measurements, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), somatotype components, muscular endurance and strength, flexibility, resting heart rate and submaximal power output (PWC150/kg) were measured in 13,804 subjects during the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey. Familial correlations were computed to determine the contribution of transmissible (t2) and environmental (e2) factors in physical fitness by path analysis. Transmissibility estimates (t2) under 0.30 for weight, height, WHR and PWC150/kg, above 0.40 for mesomorphy, ectomorphy, push-up test and flexibility, and between 0.30 and 0.40 for the other measurements were obtained. These results suggest that e2 account for more than 50% of the variation and that the average total biological and cultural inheritance from parents to offspring in physical fitness of Canadians accounts for 30% to 40% of the phenotypic variation.