Magister Public Health - MPH (Public Health)

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https://hdl.handle.net/10566/11948

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Browsing by Subject "Association"

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    The association between body size and physical fitness amidst the covid-19 pandemic: a South African naval personnel retrospective longitudinal study
    (University of the Western Cape, 2025) Goliath-Mantis Adorée Wenonah; Mchiza Zandile
    Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated obesity among military personnel, particularly in sea rescues. South Africa (SA) has the highest prevalence, with a predicted increase of 47.7% in females and 23.3% in males by 2025. Health assessments and interventions are needed to improve weight status and fitness outcomes. This research study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and the association between the level of body size and physical fitness (PF) among South African Naval personnel. Methodology: The study involved 2428 adults aged 18-60 working in the South African Navy (SAN), including males and females. The sample size was based on comprehensive health assessments (CHAs) and fitness tests (FT) conducted between 2018-2023. Participants included naval members who participated in CHAs and FT before and after the 2020/2021 pandemic. The study excluded participants under 18 and above 60, pregnant women, those with medical reasons, members on course or not arriving for scheduled fitness tests, and naval members conducting CHA at other units outside of the Institute for Maritime Medicine (IMM) and Naval Base Simon’s Town (NBS). The study used Stata to analyse data, to reveal significant differences (using confidence intervals [CI] and p-values) between groups based on age, gender, workplace units, body mass index (BMI), and PF outcomes. The data are presented using counts, proportions, means, and standard deviations. The paired t-test analyses were conducted to determine if differences existed between time points. Logistic regressions analysis was conducted to determine factors that were associated with succeeding during the fitness test.