Do obese children perceive submaximal and maximal exertion differently?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Exercise Physiology
• Obesity Research
• Cardiorespiratory Fitness Assessment

Background:

• Cardiorespiratory fitness is crucial for children's health, especially those with obesity.
• Understanding children's perception of exertion is vital for adherence to exercise testing and interventions.
• Maximal and submaximal tests are common methods for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare perceived exertion in obese children during maximal versus submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness tests.
• To investigate the influence of test duration and protocol design on perceived exertion.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one obese children (ages 10-17) completed both maximal and submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness tests.
• Oxygen consumption (VO2) and overall perceived exertion (Borg scale) were measured.
• Tests were conducted on separate occasions to avoid learning effects.

Main Results:

• Perceived exertion was significantly higher (P < 0.001) during the submaximal test at comparable workloads.
• The submaximal test duration was significantly longer (14:21 min) than the maximal test (12:48 min) (P < 0.001).
• Obese children reported similar or higher perceived exertion during submaximal testing than maximal testing.

Conclusions:

• Test duration and protocol design appear to influence perceived exertion in obese children.
• Submaximal tests may elicit higher perceived exertion due to their longer duration, even at similar relative intensities.
• Findings suggest careful consideration of test protocols when assessing fitness in pediatric obesity.