Traditional and New Perspectives on Youth Cardiorespiratory Fitness

PURPOSE: This study aimed to review traditional and new perspectives in the interpretation of the development of youth cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).

METHODS: We analyzed data from (i) the literature which for 80 yr has been traditionally based on interpretations of peak oxygen uptake (V˙O2) in ratio with body mass (BM) and (ii) recent multilevel allometric models founded on 994 (475 from girls) determinations of 10- to 16-yr-olds' peak V˙O2 with measures of age, maturity status, and morphological covariates (BM and fat-free mass), and from 10 to 13 yr, 110 peak V˙O2 determinations of maximum cardiovascular covariates (stroke volume, cardiac output, and arteriovenous oxygen difference).

RESULTS: The application of ratio scaling of physiological variables requires satisfying specific statistical assumptions that are seldom met. In direct conflict with the ratio-scaled data interpretation of CRF, multilevel allometric modeling shows that with BM controlled, peak V˙O2 increases with age but the effect is smaller in girls than boys. Maturity status exerts a positive effect on peak V˙O2, in addition to those of age and BM. Changes in maximum cardiovascular covariates contribute to explaining the development of CRF, but fat-free mass (as a surrogate for active muscle mass) is the most powerful single influence. With age, maturity status, morphological covariates, and maximum cardiovascular covariates controlled, there remains an unexplained ~4% to ~9% sex difference in peak V˙O2.

CONCLUSIONS: The traditional interpretation of peak V˙O2 in ratio with BM is fallacious and leads to spurious correlations with other health-related variables. Studies of the development of CRF require analyses of sex-specific, concurrent changes in age- and maturation-driven morphological and maximum cardiovascular covariates. Multilevel allometric modeling provides a rigorous, flexible, and sensitive method of data analysis.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2020

Erschienen:

2020

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:52

Enthalten in:

Medicine and science in sports and exercise - 52(2020), 12 vom: 31. Dez., Seite 2563-2573

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Armstrong, Neil [VerfasserIn]
Welsman, J O [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Journal Article

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 26.04.2021

Date Revised 05.10.2022

published: Print

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1249/MSS.0000000000002418

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM313106118