title: Self-perception of health and fitness among French and Tunisian men and women.
abstract: This work examines the effects of sex and culture on physical self-perceptions. The aim was to compare the perception of physical fitness of French and Tunisian men and women. 400 individuals ages 20 to 35 years assessed their own fitness, endurance, strength, flexibility, body composition, and health according to specific category scales by completing a questionnaire. In general, the Tunisian group rated themselves higher than the French group. It appears that perceived physical fitness was related mainly to perceived endurance for both groups. Some disparities were observed between the two nationalities. Analysis showed an interaction between sex and culture (French vs Tunisian). For French men and women and Tunisian men, perceived physical fitness was more associated with perceived endurance, whereas for Tunisian women, perceived physical fitness was more strongly associated with flexibility. These data show that self-perception of physical fitness is a dimension which varies between individuals from different cultures.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Analyse de la Performance Motrice Humaine, Université de Poitiers, Tunisie. maamouri.leila@voila.fr
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maâmouri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jeddi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brisswalter
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Legros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001823:Body Composition; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000208:ethnology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014416:Tunisia / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*