<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<italic>Study aim</italic>: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is the greatest rate at which the body can use oxygen and is an indicator of aerobic power. Although aerobic fitness is such a valuable determinant of health, there is limited research with established normative values for a healthy young adult Canadian population. The purpose of the study was to develop normative reference values for a Canadian young-adult population.
<italic>Material and methods</italic>: 550 undergraduate student (280 male and 270 female) participants, with a mean body mass (BM) of 72.08 ± 15.05 kg, mean age of 21.16 ± 1.26 years old and mean height of 171.95 ± 10.25 cm completed a VO2max test using the Bruce treadmill protocol. Male and female classifications were established for the total exercise time in minutes and for the measured VO2max using percentiles and a seven-category classification system.
<italic>Results</italic>: There were statistically significant differences between the sexes for VO2max values (p &lt; 0.001). The measured assessment for the healthy young Canadian adults showed a mean VO2max value of 40.90 ± 7.50 mL/kg/min for females and 49.89 ± 9.20 mL/kg/min for males. Females were able to withstand the exercise protocol for a mean of 11.92 ± 1.97 minutes, while males exercised for an average of 14.33 ± 2.40 minutes before the test was terminated.
<italic>Conclusions</italic>: This study provides specific normative values for the aerobic fitness of a university aged Canadian population which can be used as reference values for cardiovascular health and fitness assessments.
</abstract>

Study aim: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is the greatest rate at which the body can use oxygen and is an indicator of aerobic power. Although aerobic fitness is such a valuable determinant of health, there is limited research with established normative values for a healthy young adult Canadian population. The purpose of the study was to develop normative reference values for a Canadian young-adult population.
Material and methods: 550 undergraduate student (280 male and 270 female) participants, with a mean body mass (BM) of 72.08 ± 15.05 kg, mean age of 21.16 ± 1.26 years old and mean height of 171.95 ± 10.25 cm completed a VO2max test using the Bruce treadmill protocol. Male and female classifications were established for the total exercise time in minutes and for the measured VO2max using percentiles and a seven-category classification system.
Results: There were statistically significant differences between the sexes for VO2max values (p < 0.001). The measured assessment for the healthy young Canadian adults showed a mean VO2max value of 40.90 ± 7.50 mL/kg/min for females and 49.89 ± 9.20 mL/kg/min for males. Females were able to withstand the exercise protocol for a mean of 11.92 ± 1.97 minutes, while males exercised for an average of 14.33 ± 2.40 minutes before the test was terminated.
Conclusions: This study provides specific normative values for the aerobic fitness of a university aged Canadian population which can be used as reference values for cardiovascular health and fitness assessments.

Determining cardiovascular fitness normative reference values in a university aged Canadian population using maximal exercise testing

Biomedical Human Kinetics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Study aim: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is the greatest rate at which the body can use oxygen and is an indicator of aerobic power. Although aerobic fitness...

Determining cardiovascular fitness normative reference values in a university aged Canadian population using maximal exercise testing

Published Online: Mar 09, 2024

Page range: 106 - 112

Received: Nov 27, 2023

Accepted: Jan 29, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bhk-2024-0011

Keywords
VO testing, Aerobic capacity, Graded exercise test, Bruce protocol

© 2024 Adriana M. Duquette et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Determining cardiovascular fitness normative reference values in a university aged Canadian population using maximal exercise testing

Published Online: Mar 09, 2024

Page range: 106 - 112

Received: Nov 27, 2023

Accepted: Jan 29, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bhk-2024-0011

KeywordsVO testing, Aerobic capacity, Graded exercise test, Bruce protocol

© 2024 Adriana M. Duquette et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
VO testing, Aerobic capacity, Graded exercise test, Bruce protocol