Two Decades Longitudinal Study of VO□ Max and Physical Fitness in a College Population

Abstract

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 53% of adults age 18 and older met the Physical Activity Guidelines of the Health and Human Services. Previously published research has established a decreasing level of physical fitness in college students. While VO□ max is an accurate predictor of aerobic fitness, due to the relative difficulty of performing the VO□ max, the data collected on student physical activity is often comprised of indirect measurements of fitness including BMI, self‐reported activity level, and estimates of aerobic fitness using VO□ max estimations. We hypothesize that fitness of college students reflects that of general population. Therefore, a comprehensive database was developed that comprised of VO□ max values of college students in a small Midwestern liberal arts institution to assess the physical fitness level of college students. VO□ max were measured in over 500 student‐athletes and non‐athletes over two decades. In addition, other measures of fitness such BM, maximum heart rate were collected. For our studies, we extracted data for analysis using a Python script. Our preliminary observations on a small sample subset suggest that fitness level remained constant over the two decades contrary to general population trends. Further analysis accounting for athletes versus non athlete may explain the apparent steadiness of fitness level. Our study suggests that VO□ Max of college students can provide insight into longitudinal changes in physical fitness.Support or Funding InformationDePauw University