Validation of a cardiorespiratory fitness assessment for firefighters
Autor: | Christine Stopka, Alexis D. Delisle, Mona B. Sayedul Huq, Anthony T. Delisle, Mark D. Tillman, Tiffany L. Cowen, Anna K. Piazza-Gardner |
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Rok vydání: | 2014 |
Předmět: |
Adult
Male medicine.medical_specialty Validation study Physical Therapy Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Positive correlation Body fat percentage Young Adult Bruce protocol Oxygen Consumption Predictive Value of Tests medicine Humans Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Treadmill Adiposity Exercise Tolerance business.industry Cardiorespiratory fitness General Medicine Middle Aged Joint management Physical Fitness Firefighters Physical therapy Exercise Test Female business |
Zdroj: | Journal of strength and conditioning research. 28(10) |
ISSN: | 1533-4287 |
Popis: | Currently, a submaximal protocol is used to measure cardiorespiratory fitness in firefighters by estimating their true aerobic capacity (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max); however, this submaximal test has not been cross-validated among firefighters. Thirty firefighters (85% male, 15% female), completed the submaximal protocol and the maximal (Bruce) treadmill protocol on separate occasions. Pearson's correlation analyses between the submaximal and Bruce protocol revealed a significant moderate positive correlation (r = 0.635, p = 0.005). The range of mean V[Combining Dot Above]O2max values and SDs produced from the submaximal and maximal protocols varied greatly (35.4-50.9 vs. 28.6-58.4 ml·kg·min, and SD of 3.91 vs. 7.22, respectively). The submaximal V[Combining Dot Above]O2 test underestimated the true V[Combining Dot Above]O2max in the majority of firefighters (72.4%) and overestimated the true V[Combining Dot Above]O2max in the remainder of firefighters. Participants with a higher body fat percentage were more likely (p = 0.0157) to have an overestimated true V[Combining Dot Above]O2max than those with a lower-body fat percentage. Our results indicate the current submaximal V[Combining Dot Above]O2 test used to measure cardiorespiratory fitness in firefighters is an improvement over previous protocols. However, our findings also show that the accuracy of this submaximal test for predicting the true V[Combining Dot Above]O2max in firefighters is questionable, and may not identify firefighters who possess substandard cardiorespiratory fitness, particularly in those with a higher percentage of body fat. Thus, the results of this study indicate that improvements to the current Fire Service Joint Management, Wellness & Fitness Initiative (WFI) V[Combining Dot Above]O2 assessment is still needed to accurately reflect the true V[Combining Dot Above]O2max of individual firefighters. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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