Differences in Physical Fitness among Female Students according to Weight Status

The main aim of the research was to find out whether there are any differences in physical fitness between non-overweight, overweight and obese female students. Research was carried out on 178 female students from the Faculty of Education Maribor (aged 20.3 years, SD = 1.09). The students were classified as non-overweight, overweight, and obese according to age and sex specific body mass index (BMI) cut-off points. In order to assess their physical fitness, nine different tests that cover explosive leg power, repetitive trunk and upper extremities power, flexibility, balance, eye-hand coordination, agility, and endurance were used. ANOVA was used to assess the differences in physical fitness between nonoverweight, overweight, and obese groups. Statistical significance was set at the α level of 0.05. Results show that 79.9 % of students were in the non-overweight group, 14.0 % in the overweight group, and 6.61 % in the obese group. The differences in all physical fitness tests, except in sit-and-reach test and sit-ups test, between non-overweight, overweight, and obese female students are statistically significant (p < 0.05). We have established that the nonoverweight female students achieved a higher level of physical fitness than their overweight and obese peers. In addition, overweight students achieved a higher level of physical fitness than obese students. These data suggest, that in the early adulthood population the level of physical fitness and weight status are closely related