Association between body mass index and physical fitness levels among workers at PT Pertamina Patra Niaga Riau

Abstract

Background: Worker health and fitness are critical in professions requiring high physical readiness, such as security and fire personnel. 

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and physical fitness levels, measured by the NAPFA test, among workers at PT Pertamina Patra Niaga Riau.

Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed with 123 respondents selected through purposive sampling. BMI was measured according to WHO standards. Physical fitness was assessed using the NAPFA test protocol. Because the NAPFA grade is an ordinal variable and data were non-normally distributed, Spearman’s rank correlation and ordinal logistic regression (adjusted for age) were used instead of linear regression. Results are reported as correlation coefficients and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Notably, 63.2% of respondents fell into overweight or obese BMI categories, while fitness levels were distributed as follows: 23.5% “moderate,” 60.9% “good,” and 4% “excellent.” The non-normal data distribution suggests that additional factors, such as shift work patterns, tropical work environments, and extracurricular physical activity, significantly influence fitness.

Conclusion: BMI was not significantly associated with NAPFA-defined physical fitness in this occupational cohort. These findings suggest that fitness assessments should not rely solely on BMI but should include direct measures of cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility.