The Physical Fitness Questionnaire (FFB-Mot)

Physical or motor fitness is known to be a significant factor in physical and mental health. The measurement of physical fitness is an important task in health research and particularly in health survey studies. This paper reports on the development of a questionnaire that measures motor fitness status in normal populations. The FFB Mot questionnaire comprises overall 28 self-report items assessing four basic motor abilities, namely cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, flexibility, and coordination. The standard scale is composed of 20 items. A 12-item short form is available for telephone interviewing. Low physical fitness and high/sportive fitness are measured by two additional scales comprising 4 items each (ADL and Sport scales). Data from two different validation studies were employed to analyze psychometric properties of the scales. The results show high correlations between the scores measured by physical fitness tests and those obtained from the questionnaire. The findings indicate that the FFB-Mot provides an economical screening method for the assessment of physical fitness in normal populations.