2018, Vol. 5, Issue 5, Part B

Background: Little evidence exists regarding the multivariate relationship between a set of fitness variables and a set of sociodemographic predictor variables. The purpose of this study was to examine the independent relationship that sociodemographic predictors have on the linear combination of fitness variables in adults.

Methods: Data for this research came from adults 20+ years of age participating in the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Grip strength (GS, kg), waist circumference (WC, cm), Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA, min/wk), and sedentary time (ST, min/day) were the set of dependent variables. Sociodemographic predictor variables consisted of age, sex, race, income, education, and marital/partner status. Multivariate multiple linear regression analysis was employed to examine the independent relationship between predictors and the linear combination of fitness variables.

Results: The set of sociodemographic variables significantly (ps<.0001) predicted each of the fitness variables in separate univariate models. The multivariate multiple regression analysis indicated that each sociodemographic predictor significantly (ps<.001) predicts the linear combination of fitness variables.

Conclusion: Results from this study indicate that sociodemographic characteristics are related to a fitness construct consisting of muscular strength, body composition, physical activity, and sedentary behavior.