Abstract
BACKGROUND // Cardiorespiratory fitness reduces the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, cancer and mortality. The aim was to evaluate the relationship between equation‑estimated fitness and all‑cause mortality in the Chilean population according to the 2009‑2010 National Health Survey (NHS). METHODS // Data from 4,749 NHS participants were analysed after 10.9 years of follow‑up. Fitness was estimated using the Myers et al. equation and classified into quintiles. Cox regression models adjusted for confounders assessed the association between fitness and mortality. RESULTS // During follow‑up, 506 participants (10.6 %) died. Compared with the lowest quintile (<7 METs), those in the highest quintile (>12 METs) had a 95 % lower mortality risk (HR = 0.05; 95 % CI: 0.03‑0.09); mortality risk decreased by 28 % per 1‑MET increment (HR = 0.72; 95 % CI: 0.69‑0.75). CONCLUSIONS // Higher fitness is associated with lower mortality risk, independent of confounders, in the Chilean population after 10.9 years of follow‑up.