Exercise behaviour, physical fitness and coronary heart disease risk factors status

The health benefits attained from habitual physical activity are well documented and have been extensively reviewed (Bouchard et al., 1990, 1994; Powell et al., 1987). These reviews have identified, following analysis of numerous epidemiological studies, that physical inactivity appears to be an independent primary risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) of a magnitude similar to that of the more “traditional” risk factors (namely hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension and cigarette smoking) (Powell et al., 1987; Berlin and Colditz, 1990).