Measurement of fitness

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Cardiovascular fitness is best measured by a laboratory measurement of VO_2max, the maximal ability of the body to utilize oxygen. This test includes exercise to exhaustion while measuring oxygen consumption. Although useful in a research setting, this type of testing is not useful in a clinical or epidemiologic research setting. In this issue of The Journal, Nemeth et al evaluated the ability of a submaximal exercise test to predict VO_2max in overweight children. They found that, using an 8 minute exercise test (4 minute warm up and 4 minutes at 5% grade), they could accurately predict VO_2max in this cohort. These results provide the opportunity to consider measurements of fitness in clinical and epidemiologic settings.