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Are there reliable primary indicators of cardiorespiratory fitness in physically active students?
Klaus Christian Haggenmüller1, Sebastian Freilinger1, Nils Olson1
1Chair of Preventive Pediatrics, Department of Health and Sport Science, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Am Olympiacampus 11, 80809, Munich, Germany.
Background:
Cardiorespiratory fitness is a central component of preventive sports medical assessments and plays a crucial role in early identification of health risk factors in asymptomatic populations as well as evaluating physical performance. Preventive examinations in sports medicine frequently include the assessment of Handgrip-Strength (HGS), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), or Medical History Interviews (MHI). The aim of this study is to investigate whether one of these can serve as a valid surrogate marker for cardiorespiratory fitness.
Methods:
A total of 552 university students (mean age: 21.0 ± 3.79 years (37.5% male) underwent a standardized sports medical and motor performance assessment including Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) on a bicycle ergometer, IPAQ, HGS testing, and a structured MHI. Associations between VO2peak and the proposed surrogate markers were analysed, controlling for sex and body weight.
Results:
The parameters with the highest explanatory values were HGS (R = 0.439, p < .001) and MHI (R = 0.323, p < .001). The combination of these two parameters (HGS and MHI) had an explanatory value of R2 = 0.49 (F(3, 549) = 76.620, p < .001, n = 552).
Conclusions:
Maximal HGS and MHI showed potential as first-level indicators of cardiovascular fitness and in combination they may support screening in settings with limited resources and can be used for risk group identification. However, for medical applications the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing remains indispensable for an accurate and comprehensive assessment of individual cardiovascular fitness.
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