The Multistage 20-m Shuttle Run Test for Predicting VO(2)Peak in 6–9-Year-Old Children: A Comparison with VO(2)Peak Predictive Equations

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the main components of physical fitness. For children, a simple test that can be used to assess cardiorespiratory fitness is the multistage 20-m shuttle run test (20mSRT). Research has often used a portable gas analyzer to measure cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical and scientific settings; however, this may not be practical due to the high cost of the device. Moreover, the use of such a device with children is almost impracticable in school environments. Thus, to avoid using such a device, one possibility is to use equations for predicting peak oxygen consumption, which is recognized as one of the best indicators of aerobic fitness. In the present study, 22 equations were used to determine which predictive equations had greater agreement with VO(2)peak values measured by direct oximetry through performance of the 20mSRT. Furthermore, we verified if wearing and carrying a portable gas analyzer constrained the children’s performances. To accomplish these aims, 67 boys and 63 girls were included in the analysis. Our results showed that only six predictive equations correctly predicted the peak oxygen consumption. In addition, for girls, higher values of maximal speed, total laps, and total time were found when a portable gas analyzer was used. This information is helpful to strength and conditioning professionals and to schoolteachers if portable gas analyzers are unavailable or if the environment is not suitable for such assessments. ABSTRACT: This study aimed (i) to verify if using and carrying a portable gas analyzer (PGA) constrained the performance of school children on the multistage 20-m shuttle run test (20mSRT), (ii) to verify which peak oxygen consumption (VO(2)peak) predictive equations have greater agreement with VO(2)peak values measured by direct oximetry using the 20mSRT. The study participants were 130 children ((67 boys (age 7.76 ± 0.97 years) and 63 girls (age 7.59 ± 0.91 years)), who performed two randomized trials of the 20mSRT with and without a PGA. Twenty-two predictive equations predicted the VO(2)peak values through the performance of the test with and without a PGA. Without a PGA, lower values of maximal speed (MS), total laps (TL), and total time (TT) were found for girls than for boys with a PGA. Only six equations were considered to correctly predict VO(2)peak. In general, higher MS, TL, and TT values were found with the use of a PGA. The predicted VO(2)peak values from the 20mSRT varied significantly among the published predictive equations. Therefore, we suggest that the six equations that presented satisfactory accuracy could be practically used to examine cardiorespiratory fitness in schools and in research with large populations when direct measurement of VO(2)peak is not feasible.