StepTest4all: Improving the Prediction of Cardiovascular Capacity Assessment in Young Adults.

Cardiovascular capacity, expressed as maximal oxygen uptake (VO), is a strong predictor of health and fitness and is considered a key measure of physiological function in the healthy adult population. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the physical activity levels (PA) of participants in the StepTest4all (validated protocol for the estimation of VO in adults). The sample consisted of 69 participants, including 27 women (age 21.7 ± 3.6 years; body mass = 63.5 ± 14.8 kg; height = 1.64 ± 0.06 m; body mass index = 23.7 ± 5.3 kg/m) and 42 men (aged 21.7 ± 3.4 years; body mass = 72.0 ± 7.3 kg; height = 1.77 ± 0.07 m; body mass index = 23.1 ± 2.1 kg/m). The participants were assigned to one of the two groups: (i) the VO prediction group and (ii) the prediction model validation group. In the multiple linear regression, the following predictors of VO remained significant: sex ( < 0.001), physical activity level ( = 0.014), and HRR ( = 0.020). The prediction equation (R = 74.0%, SEE = 4.78) showed a close and strong relationship between the measurements and can be expressed as follows: VO = 17.105 + 0.260·(HRR) + 8.563·(sex) + 4.097·(PA), in which HRR is the magnitude of the HR decrease (bpm) in one minute immediately after stopping the step, and sex: men = 1, women = 0, and PA is level 1 (low), level 2 (moderate), and level 3 (high). The StepTest4all was shown to be a suitable method for estimating cardiovascular capacity, expressed as VO, in young adults. Retaining PA as a significant predictor allows us to better individualize the participants' VO.