Maximal Aerobic Capacity of Canadian Schoolchildren: Prediction Based on Age-Related Oxygen Cost of Running

Abstract

Timed distance runs were administered to a random sample of 2,683 schoolchildren aged 7-16 years. Oxygen uptake was then measured during level treadmill running over a range of submaximal speeds in a randomly selected sub-sample of 134 children with approximately equal representation according to age and sex. The V̇O₂ - running speed relationship was found to be related to age with the younger children having a greater V̇O₂ per kg body weight than the older children when running at the same absolute speed. Based on the realtionship found between measured V̇O₂max and V̇O₂max predicted according to field test performance, corrected for age-related differences in running efficiency, V̇O₂max was predicted for all 2,683 children. When expressed per kg of body weight, V̇O₂max was highest in girls at age 11 (approximately 46 ml/kg) and in boys at age 14 (approximately 54 ml/kg); however, differences among ages were nonsignificant. At all ages V̇O₂max for the boys was significantly higher than that for the girls. At all ages, values were higher than those previously reported for Canadian schoolchildren.

Key words

oxygen cost - running - children - maximum aerobic capacity