Cardiorespiratory fitness and its association with adiposity indices in young adults

Objective: This study investigated the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and adiposity in young adults.

Methods: Data was collected from 133 students of a medical college of Pakistan. The study was conducted on young adults, aged 17-24 years, recruited from Jinnah Medical & Dental College, Karachi, between Aug-Dec, 2015. Queen’s College Step Test was conducted to measure CRF and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) evaluated. Anthropometric measurements (body mass index, body fat, visceral fat, waist circumference) were taken to assess adiposity. Associations of VO2max and adiposity were analyzed.

Results: The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 44% overall. The VO2max (ml/kg/min) of males and females was 55.41±9.45 and 39.91±3.14, respectively, the gender difference being highly significant (p<0.001). Quartiles of VO2max showed strong inverse relationship between adiposity and VO2max, obese individuals having low VO2max (1st quartile) and normal weight individuals having high VO2max (4th quartile). VO2max correlated greatest with body fat in males (r = –0.600; p<0.001), and waist circumference in females (r = –0.319; p=0.004).

Conclusion: The results indicate low CRF in young females and a strong inverse relationship between fitness levels and adiposity in young adults of both genders. Improving these parameters in our young population may prevent development of chronic non-communicable disease in later life.