Descriptive epidemiology of health-related physical activity and fitness

The purpose of this paper is to describe, within the conceptual framework presented Toronto International Consensus Conference on Physical Activity, Fitness, and Health (Bouchard, Shephard, & Stephens, 1994), the current status and recent trends of health-related physical activity and fitness in different countries. Because the health consequences of activity and fitness are most prominent and potentially most effective among adult and elderly populations, this paper focuses on these populations. In order to characterize health-related activity and fitness, clear criteria for the levels of activity and fitness that differentiate between health-enhancing and nonenhancing effects are needed. Also needed are reliable data drawn from representative population samples to describe the patterns and trends. Despite intensified research interest in these topics during the last 10 years or so, documentation of results meeting the criteria is very limited. One recent epidemiological description of physical activity was that by Stephens and Caspersen (1994). They reported results from the United States, Canada, Australia, England, and Finland. This presentation attempts to expand their contribution by including some new activity data from Sweden and Finland. Representative population data of health-related fitness is even more scarce. Shephard (1994) reviewed the literature recently from a methodological point of view. National data reported recently from England, Sweden, Finland, and Germany are examined in the present paper.