Tracking of aerobic fitness from adolescence to mid-adulthood

Abstract

Background: Although adults’ aerobic fitness is known to be correlated with cardiovascular disease risk, the longitudinal relationship with adolescent aerobic fitness is poorly described.

Aim: To longitudinally investigate the relationship between aerobic fitness during adolescence and adulthood.

Subjects and methods: Participants (207 boys, 149 girls) aged 7–17 years performed annual measures of VO_2peak. In adulthood (40 and 50 years), 78 individuals (59 males and 18 females) were reassessed. Serial height measurements were used to estimate age at peak height velocity (APHV). During adolescence, VO_2peak was measured via a treadmill test to voluntary exhaustion; adult VO_2peak was assessed using submaximal predictive tests. Correlations were tested using Spearman’s rho. ANCOVA was used to assess adult VO_2peak group differences based off APHV VO_2peak groupings (low, average or high).

Results: When sexes were pooled, moderate tracking existed from 2 years prior to APHV to APHV and APHV to 2 years after APHV (0.46, p < 0.001 and 0.35, p < 0.01, respectively). Correlations between APHV and adult values were low when sexes were pooled (p < 0.05). Comparisons of aggregated sexes revealed the low adolescent VO_2peak group had lower values in adulthood relative to other groups (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Aerobic fitness has a low tracking between APHV and adulthood.

• Longitudinal
• peak height velocity
• relative VO_2peak
• Saskatchewan Growth and Development Study

Acknowledgements

A special thanks also goes to the research assistants for their help with data collection and to the participants for devoting numerous hours to the study.