Maximal oxygen consumption and oxygen uptake efficiency in adolescent males

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Cardiorespiratory Fitness Assessment
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Oxygen uptake efficiency (OUE) measures are used to assess cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adolescents unable to perform maximal exercise.
• Oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) and oxygen uptake efficiency plateau (OUEP) have been proposed as surrogates for maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O_2max).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the validity of OUES and OUEP as predictors of V̇O_2max in healthy male adolescents.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-three healthy male adolescents (age 15.40 ± 0.34 years) performed an incremental treadmill test.
• V̇O_2max, OUES, and OUEP were determined.
• OUES was calculated using data up to the ventilatory threshold (VT) based on the linear relation between V̇O₂ and log V̇_E. OUEP was the highest 90-second average of OUE values.

Main Results:

• Wide limits of agreement were observed for V̇O_2max predicted by OUES (±13.3 mL·kg^-1·min^-1) and OUEP (±16.7 mL·kg^-1·min^-1).
• A significant bias was found for both OUES and OUEP in predicting V̇O_2max (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• OUES and OUEP are not accurate predictors of V̇O_2max in male adolescents.
• These measures should not be used as replacements for direct V̇O_2max testing in this population for CRF assessment.