One-Mile Run Performance and Cardiovascular Fitness in Children

Abstract

Background: Endurance run tests are administered in schools to assess cardiovascular fitness, defined in the laboratory as maximum oxygen consumption. Objective: To examine the validity of this concept, assessing the influences of body fat and maximum values of oxygen consumption per unit time, stroke volume, heart rate, and arteriovenous oxygen difference on 1-mile (1.6km) run time in healthy sixth-grade boys. Study Design: Subjects were 36 boys with a mean (SD) age of 12.2 (0.5) years. The relationship was examined between body fat content (estimated by skinfold measurements) and maximum oxygen consumption per kilogram and cardiac variables (during maximum cycle testing) with 1-mile run velocity. Results: Body fat content and maximum oxygen consumption per kilogram (independent of body fat) accounted for 31% and 28% of the variance in run velocity, respectively. Stroke volume was the only component of maximum oxygen consumption that related to run performance. Conclusions: These findings suggest that cardiovascular fitness and body fat content contribute equally to 1-mile run time in healthy boys and together account for only 60% of the variance in performance on this endurance fitness test. Consequently, 1-mile run performance in children may not serve as a strong indicator of cardiovascular fitness.

Aerobic exercise in adolescents with obesity: preliminary evaluation of a modular training program and the modified shuttle test

“…However, Rowland et al concluded that one-mile run performance may not serve as a strong indicator of cardiovascular fitness[66]. Drinkard et al .…”

Scaling or normalising maximum oxygen uptake to predict 1-mile run time in boys

“…Thirty-six circumpubertal boys [mean age 12.2 (0.5) years] participated in a previously published study evaluating the contributions of body composition, maximal aerobic power, and cardiac output to mile run performance (Rowland et al 1999). In the present report, findings in this investigation were analyzed to determine the empirically-observed allometric relationship between _ V O 2max , body mass and mile run velocity.…”

“…There has been considerable debate over recent years as to the most appropriate method of scaling or normalizing maximum oxygen uptake ( _ V O 2max ) to remove the effects of body mass, in both adults (Astrand and Rodahl 1986;Nevill et al 1992;Nevill and Holder 1994;Nevill et al 2003) and children (Welsman et al 1996;Nevill 1997;Rowland et al 1999). The consensus of opinion suggests that to facilitate comparisons between groups of different body sizes, the most appropriate way to remove the effects of body mass (m) is to adjust _ V O 2max using the power function relationship _ V O 2max =am k , where a is known as the scaling constant and k is the body-mass scaling exponent.…”

Validade De Testes De Campo Para Estimativa Da Aptidão Cardiorrespiratória Em Crianças E Adolescentes: Uma Revisão Sistemática

“…Of the studies included in the review, 13 were considered high quality 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 (Tables 1 and 2), and 30 as moderate quality (Tables 3 and 4). 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 …”