Anthropometric Profiles and Physical Fitness among Pakistani Female University Athletes: Cultural Barriers and Performance Outcomes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

This is a research article that provides a study on anthropometric attributes and physical fitness among Pakistani female university athletes with particular attention paid to cultural limitations and performance results in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Using a synthesis of the evidence-based information on 20 confirmed sources published between 2007 and 2025, the article examines the body composition, fitness levels and the social and cultural limitations on the female participation in this conservative area of the country. It has been found that Pakistani female athletes have anthropometric traits similar to those of the region but severe deficiency of fitness through little training options as well as only 18.9% of students at Peshawar engaging in physical activities as opposed to 32.2% in Karachi. The review concludes that culture presents a unique challenge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa such as religious constraints, gender segregation necessities, absence of amenities, and family resistance impair anthropometric development and physical performance. The barriers, as experienced by these 400 female athletes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the 2019 national games, require them to develop innovative training methods that would honor cultural limitations and simultaneously maximize the growth in terms of physical builds. Two extensive tables can be found in the article: Table 1 is an integration of the anthropometric profile, fitness performance, and cultural obstacles among Pakistani female athletes with special emphasis to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The study will help to understand the influence of sociocultural setting on the development of female athletes and will have practical implications as the recommendation to sports scientists and policy makers operating in the conservative Islamic areas.

Keywords: physical fitness, anthropometric profiles, female athletes, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, cultural barriers, Pakistan.