Association between physical fitness and perceived work ability among Finnish population: a cross-sectional study

This cross-sectional study aims to examine association between different components of physical fitness and perceived work ability among working age population. The population-based study sample included 2050 participants aged 18–74 from the Finnish national Health 2011 study. Physical fitness was assessed by the single leg stand test, the modified push-up test, the vertical jump test and the six-minute walk test, and perceived work ability was assessed via interview. Logistic regression was used for examining the associations between physical fitness and work ability. After adjusting for potential confounders (age, sex, marital status, educational level, work characteristics, total physical activity, daily smoking, BMI and number of diseases), odds ratios indicated that good work ability was more likely among those who had better balance in single leg stand test (OR = 1.54; 95