Predicting VO2peak from Submaximal- and Peak Exercise Models: The HUNT 3 Fitness Study, Norway

PLoS One. 2016 Jan 21;11(1):e0144873. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144873. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Purpose: Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) is seldom assessed in health care settings although being inversely linked to cardiovascular risk and all-cause mortality. The aim of this study was to develop VO2peak prediction models for men and women based on directly measured VO2peak from a large healthy population.

Methods: VO2peak prediction models based on submaximal- and peak performance treadmill work were derived from multiple regression analysis. 4637 healthy men and women aged 20-90 years were included. Data splitting was used to generate validation and cross-validation samples.

Results: The accuracy for the peak performance models were 10.5% (SEE = 4.63 mL⋅kg(-1)⋅min(-1)) and 11.5% (SEE = 4.11 mL⋅kg(-1)⋅min(-1)) for men and women, respectively, with 75% and 72% of the variance explained. For the submaximal performance models accuracy were 14.1% (SEE = 6.24 mL⋅kg(-1)⋅min(-1)) and 14.4% (SEE = 5.17 mL⋅kg(-1)⋅min(-1)) for men and women, respectively, with 55% and 56% of the variance explained. The validation and cross-validation samples displayed SEE and variance explained in agreement with the total sample. Cross-classification between measured and predicted VO2peak accurately classified 91% of the participants within the correct or nearest quintile of measured VO2peak.

Conclusion: Judicious use of the exercise prediction models presented in this study offers valuable information in providing a fairly accurate assessment of VO2peak, which may be beneficial for risk stratification in health care settings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Body Weight
  • Exercise Test*
  • Female
  • Heart Rate
  • Humans
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Biological*
  • Norway
  • Oxygen Consumption / physiology*
  • Reproducibility of Results

Grants and funding

This study was funded by K.G. Jebsen Foundation, The Norwegian Council on cardiovascular Disease, The Research Council of Norway, Foundation for Cardiovascular Research at St. Olav’s Hospital, Norwegian State Railways, Roche Norway Incorporated and Valnesfjord Rehabilitation Center. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.