Publication Details
Abstract
Athletic participation is generally presumed to be associated with positive anthropometric and cardiorespiratory characteristics; however, the role that demographic factors versus physiological factors plays in making this difference is not clear. A cross-sectional study carried out on groups of different ages and sexes. Group І consisted of 204 people (70 males), aged 20 ± 2.1, while Group ІІ consisted of 107 athletic students (69 males), aged 20.55±1.49. Group one consists of apparently healthy but sedentary medical students whereas group two consists of trained athletes medical students. Various parameters including BMI, blood pressure (BP), pulse rates (PR), and PaO2 were analyzed statistically. Among 311 individuals, sex had the greatest association with athletic status via bivariate correlation (r = .288, p < .001); while age had weak correlation (r = .140, p = .014). According to multivariable logistic regression analysis, only sex was an independent determinant of athletic status (p < .001). ANCOVA revealed that overall model was statistically significant (p < .001); sex (p < .001) and age as a categorical variable (p = .022) were the only independent predictors among variables included in the model. Athletic Sex emerged as the only variable merged as a correlate and independent predictor of being an athlete. The age was more complicated; age had a very weak correlation with our study subjects at bivariate level but was a significant predictor within the framework of ANCOVA and nonsignificant as a continuous linear predictor within the context of logistic regression, indicating the possible nonlinear connection of Age with the athletic status or that the relationship depends on age bands specifically.