Body composition and maximum oxygen consumption in a sample of university students in the city of Villavicencio

Abstract

In order to correlate body composition with maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in a sample of university students from the city of Villavicencio, Colombia, an observational, prospective study was carried out with descriptive and correlational cross-sectional coverage in a sample of 390 subjects (190 men and 200 women) from four institutions of higher education (HEI), with an average age of 21.54 ± 4 years. Weight, height, skin folds (triceps, subscapular, middle leg) and abdominal perimeter were measured and BMI, fat percentage with the ISAK and VO2max protocols were measured with the Queen’s College
Step Test. The data were treated with SPSS version 20 in Spanish. It was endorsed by the Bioethics Committee of the University of the Llanos. Participants signed informed consent. The results showed that 20.7% were overweight, 3.3% were obese and 9%
were underweight; the VO2max was in an average of 38.4 mL/kg/min, a minimum of 19 mL/kg/min and a maximum of 78 mL/kg/min. The correlation between BMI and VO2max was Rho = -0.511, P = 0.000; by the Pearson coefficient, data which argue that the excess of weight negatively alters the percentage of VO2max. The evaluated sample for the underweight showed a higher percentage in men than in women; the lowest normal weight was found in men, as well as the percentage of overweight. These data reveal the group of men, who were more inclined towards the less favorable extremes according to the
normal categories expressed by the WHO.