International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

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 Volume 13, Issue 1 (January 2026), Pages: 183-189

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 Original Research Paper

Flexibility and body composition: An analysis of sit-and-reach performance and body mass index in first-year undergraduate students

 Author(s): 

 Kenneth S. Samonte *

 Affiliation(s):

 College of Education, Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, Cabanatuan City, Philippines

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8694-8027

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.01.019

 Abstract

Flexibility and body composition are important components of physical fitness and play a key role in health promotion and disease prevention. As sedentary lifestyles increase worldwide, it is important to assess health indicators in different populations, particularly in the Philippines, where the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising. This study examined the relationship between flexibility and body composition using the sit-and-reach test and body mass index (BMI). A cross-sectional observational design was applied to 130 first-year undergraduate students at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology in the Philippines. Data on age, height, weight, and BMI were collected, and flexibility was assessed using the sit-and-reach test. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and t-tests were used for data analysis. The results showed sex-based differences in demographic and body composition characteristics, with males generally having higher BMI values and females showing a higher prevalence of underweight. Although flexibility scores varied widely among participants, no statistically significant relationship was found between flexibility and sex, age, or BMI. These findings highlight the complex nature of flexibility and suggest that future studies should consider lifestyle factors, levels of physical activity, and genetic influences when designing health interventions for university students.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Physical fitness, Flexibility, Body mass index, University students, Sedentary lifestyle

 Article history

 Received 11 September 2025, Received in revised form 3 January 2026, Accepted 10 January 2026

 Acknowledgment

The author gratefully acknowledges the administration and faculty of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST), San Isidro Campus, for granting permission to conduct this study at the College of Education. Sincere thanks are extended to the 130 first-year undergraduate students who voluntarily participated in the study. The author also acknowledges previous researchers whose work on physical fitness and health indicators in the Philippines provided valuable background for this research. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

The study was conducted in accordance with institutional ethical standards and the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Participation was voluntary, and all students provided informed consent after receiving a clear explanation of the study objectives and procedures. Participant safety was ensured through health screening using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), and appropriate exclusion criteria were applied. Official permission for participant recruitment and data collection was obtained from the relevant faculty and administrative authorities.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Samonte KS (2026). Flexibility and body composition: An analysis of sit-and-reach performance and body mass index in first-year undergraduate students. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(1): 183-189

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