[Effect of habitual physical activity on physical fitness and serum cholesterol in middle-aged male workers].

The effects of habitual physical activity on physical fitness parameters and serum cholesterol profile were studied in middle-aged male workers. The subjects were 3376 middle-aged men (age: 30-59 yrs) who worked at two enterprises in HIROSHIMA Prefecture. As for physical fitness parameters, grip strength, vertical jump, side step, and step test scores were measured. Atherogenic index was calculated as (total Chol-HDL Chol)/(HDL Chol). Because daily physical activity mainly consists of physical activities during leisure time and working time, by using a questionnaire, physical activity during leisure time was assessed and categorized by frequency into three categories: 'frequently', 'sometimes', and 'seldom': and physical activity during work was categorized as 'high' or 'low' according to the average walking time per day during work. The effect of these physical activities on physical fitness parameters and serum cholesterol profile was evaluated by analysis of covariance (PC-SAS: GLM procedure) adjusting for several confounding factors such as age, body mass index, type of job, smoking and drinking habits. The main results are summarized as follows: 1) Physical activity during leisure time was positively related to vertical jump, side step, and step test score, independent of physical activity during working time, and 2) physical activity during leisure time was negatively associated to LDL-C and AI in the group with 'low' physical activity during work. These results show that in middle-aged male workers, even moderate or light physical activity during leisure time has some beneficial health promoting effects through changes in physical fitness and serum cholesterol profile.