Tahir Mahmood, Zoya Mujahid, Wajeeha Mahmood, Komal Tariq, Abdul Salam.
Comparison of Physical Fitness Between Rural and Urban Physical Therapy Students Studying in Lahore, Pakistan.
Annals Punjab Med Coll Jan ;12(2):112-6.

Objective: The main Purpose of this study was determine and compare the level of physical fitness among physical therapy students of rural and urban areas. The basic purpose is to find a difference in measured physical fitness of these students in Lahore (Punjab, Pakistan). Duration: The study was completed in six months. Setting: The students of physical therapy from public and private sector institutions of Lahore were taken including Azra Naheed Medical College and Children school of Allied health sciences. Methodology: It was a cross sectional study. The sample size was 156. Participants were divided into two groups’. Sampling: Simple convenient sampling technique was used. Only undergraduate students having age limit 21-28, both male and females were included and the students with any trauma, surgical history or musculoskeletal diseases were excluded. Physical fitness was assessed by common clinical tests: Harvard step test, Push- up test, Squat test, flexibility test, Touch toe test. The Body Mass Index was evaluated in order to determine their body composition. All the data was evaluated in SPSS version 21. Results: The results of the study indicated that while performing push up test for physical fitness, in urban population only 1(1.2%) were good in physical fitness while in Rural Population 6(8.1%) were good. While performing Touch- Toe Test, in rural population 46(62.2%) were flexible and in Urban population 55(67.1%) were flexible. In squat test, in rural population 23(31.1%) and in urban population 50(61.0%) were considered poor in terms of physical fitness. in rural population 14(18.9%) and in urban population 22(26.8%) were considered to have poor strength. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the rural physical therapy students were physically fit as compared to urban physical therapy students. Moreover, obesity is more common in urban students as the Body Mass Index was high in urban physical therapy students.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com