To investigate the association between self-reported physical fitness (SRPF) and mortality in participants of the LURIC study, particularly those at medium-to-high cardiovascular risk.
Key Findings:
Higher baseline SRPF is associated with significantly lower risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (p < 0.001).
Participants in the highest SRPF class had a hazard ratio of 0.14 (95% CI 0.08–0.24) for cardiovascular mortality compared to the lowest class.
The associations remained significant after adjusting for various confounders including age, sex, and comorbidities.
Higher SRPF correlated with lower systolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, and inflammatory markers.
Interpretation:
SRPF is a strong predictor of mortality, indicating that self-rated fitness can serve as an accessible tool for assessing cardiovascular health in clinical practice.
Limitations:
The study relies on self-reported data, which may be subject to bias, potentially affecting the accuracy of SRPF assessments.
The sample may not be representative of the general population due to specific inclusion criteria.
Conclusion:
SRPF should be integrated into routine medical assessments to promote physical activity and improve cardiovascular health outcomes, potentially through standardized questionnaires.
