Normative Data of Maximal Oxygen Consumption (VO2 Max) among Healthy Young Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) is the maximum quantity of oxygen a person can consume, and it remains constant over time despite increased exertion. The amount of oxygen consumed by the working muscles is measured by maximal oxygen consumption. The maximal oxygen uptake can be measured using maximal or submaximal tests, by gas analyser or field methods. The estimated VO2 max can be used to study people's fitness and raise awareness about physical activity and lifestyle changes. Aim: To determine the VO2 max values using a direct method and provide normative data of VO2 max for healthy young adults in the age group of 18-25 years in both sexes. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee of RUHS College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. A total of 419 healthy young adults (male and female students) were recruited from RUHS-College of Medical Sciences and MNIT College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India from January 2019 to March 2020. Anthropometric data included age, height, weight according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and followed by measurement of VO2 max using a gas analyser of AD-Instrument (model-ML206). Collected data was entered in Microsoft excel. Paired t-test was used to compare mean and Standard Deviation (SD) of variables between male and female participants. The p-value of <0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The study was conducted on 419 apparently healthy college students (275 male and 144 female). The mean VO2 max value for males was 45.30 +/- 7.35 mL/kg/min and for females it was 35.71 +/- 5.29 mL/kg/min, which was found to be significantly higher in males than in females. The mean VO2 max among the largest proportion of the males (27.63%) falls in the 'Good' category of cardiorespiratory fitness scale and the largest proportion of the females (32.63%) falls in the 'Fair' category of cardiorespiratory fitness scale. Conclusion: The value of VO2 max was lower in the Indian population than in the western population, when value obtained from this study was compared with the standard normative value of cardiorespiratory fitness. Therefore, the values obtained in this study could serve as a normative for the Indian population.