Outdoor circuit test: construction and validation of an instrument for the prediction of cardiorespiratory capacity for older adults

Abstract

Objective:

the present study aimed to construct, validate and verify the reliability of a protocol for assessing the cardiorespiratory capacity of older adults attending the Rio ao Ar Livre (Open Air Rio, or RAL) project entitled the “Outdoor Circuit Test” (OCT).

Method:

validity and reliability tests were carried out to assess the accuracy of the OCT, with 50 older adults (70.6 ± 6.3 years) of both sexes who regularly attended the RAL. Validity was tested by collecting VO_2max data under maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test conditions, and the OCT variables: a) Circuit Execution Time; b) Heart Rate; c) Subjective Perception of Exertion; d) Average Heart Rate (HRméd). Reliability was tested through the reproducibility of the measurements of the OCT variables, expressed by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The predictive capacity of VO_2max was given by multiple linear regression and the final stability of the model by the analysis of the residues and the calculation of Cook’s distances, with a value of P≤ 0.05 adopted for statistical significance.

Results:

the predictive model based on age, sex, waist circumference, BMI and circuit execution time explained 41% of VO_2max variance, with a standard error of estimate of 18.5%.

Conclusion:

the OCT exhibited satisfactory reproducibility (0.62 to 0.93), and proved to be valid, reliable, and specific for predicting the cardiorespiratory fitness of older adults attending RAL, demonstrating adequate reproducibility and a positive association with the physical fitness of older adults.

Keywords:
Aging; Public policy; Physical Exercise; Oxygen Consumption