The purpose of this study was to compare the peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) measured through stress testing and those obtained by predictive equations. A total of 116 elderly women (mean age 66.7 ± 5.8 years) were submitted to a cardiopulmonary exercise test in treadmill (ramp protocol). In addition, VO2peak values were estimated through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and Foster equations. Measured and estimated values were compared using repeated measures ANOVA. Correlation between methods was examined using Pearson coefficient and agreement using Bland and Altman plot. Both ACSM and Foster equations significantly overestimated measured VO2peak (p<0.001; mean of 6.9 and 2.7 ml.kg-1.min-1, respectively). The ACSM equation generated greater values than the Foster equation. Positive and significant correlation was observed between measured and estimated values (r = 0.70; p<0.01), while age was negatively correlated with measured VO2peak (r = -0.31; p=0.001). Findings show that for the elderly, equations commonly used overestimate VO2peak measured by cardiopulmonary exercise test, pointing to caution during classification of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Oxygen Consumption; Ergometry; Aging; Exercise test
