ORIGINAL ARTICLES  EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CLINICAL MEDICINE 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2013 December;53(6):680-6

Copyright © 2013 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Longitudinal changes in physical activity levels over 5 years and relationship to cardiorespiratory fitness in Chinese midlife women

Yu R. ¹, Yau F. ², Ho S. C. ², Woo J. ¹ ✉

¹ Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; ² School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Aim: Better understanding the impact of changes in physical activity levels on cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) may inform preventive interventions. We aimed to determine longitudinal changes in physical activity levels over 5 years and the relationship between these changes with VO2max in a sample of Chinese midlife women.
Methods: A total of 184 Chinese women aged 50-64 years in Hong Kong were enrolled for this study. Physical activity was assessed with the modified Chinese Baecke questionnaire at baseline (2002-2004) and follow-up (2008-2009). VO2max was measured with a symptom-limited maximal exercise test on an electrically braked cycle ergometer at follow-up.
Results: Compared with subjects who were persistently inactive, those who were increasingly/persistently active had significantly higher levels of VO2max (P<0.05). Being persistently active was also independently associated with a high level of VO2max (OR: 4.4, 95%CI: 1.0-19.2). However, the rate of decline in VO2max with age was apparently greater in persistently active subjects compared with their persistently inactive peers, but the differences were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that maintaining a high level of physical activity may lead to higher levels of VO2max.