The Fitness Status of German Managers and Executive Employers: A Study of Self-Perception and Reality

Abstract

The adoption of a health-oriented lifestyle by executive managers is an important factor influencing the success of an entire company. To the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated self-reported health and fitness statuses among managers and compared them with objectively measured parameters based on standardized exercise tests. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the congruence of the selfperceived and objectively measured health statuses of managers. Data for the retrospective cross-sectional study of 54 managers (51 males, 3 females, age: 46.1 ± 7.0 years, BMI 26.0 ± 3.2 kg/m2) were collected through medical health check-ups. Besides the measurement of medical data, the managers estimated their own fitness and health in a questionnaire. The differences and associations between self-reported and objective measures (endurance and strength performance as measured through a to-exhaustion ergometer test and VO2max) were analyzed. Subsequently, the cohort was divided into four groups: realistic inactives, realistic actives, underestimators and overestimators. Significant associations were found between VO2max and self-rated endurance capacity (r = 0.41) and between performance, reached in the to-exhaustion ergometer test, and self-estimated strength (r = 0.29). The majority of subjects rated their endurance capacity (69%) and strength (65%) realistically with a tendency towards underestimation. The present study revealed that most managers had a satisfying health status and were able to rate their own physical endurance and strength performance correctly, with a tendency towards underestimation. These findings are important for prevention and health promotion programs for managers.