Validity of 20 meter multi-stage shuttle run test for estimation of maximum oxygen uptake in female university students.

Indirect protocols for determination of cardiorespiratory fitness in terms of VO2max have been developed to avoid the complicated experimental protocol of direct VO2max estimation especially in clinical setting. 20-meter multi stage shuttle run test (SRT) is one of such indirect protocols developed in Western population. Eighty eight (88) sedentary young healthy female university students (Age 22.8 +/- 1.79 years, Body height 159.0 +/- 4.28 cm and Body mass 52.47 +/- 4.17 kg) of same socio-economic background were recruited in the study by simple random sampling from University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India to validate the applicability of SRT in the studied population. They were randomly separated into "study group" (N=58) on which the existing experimental protocol of SRT was tested and "confirmatory group" (N = 30) on which the modified equations were validated. VO2max of each participant was determined by direct procedure and indirect SRT method. The difference between the mean values of directly measured VO2max and indirectly predicted VO2max (PVO2max) in the "study group" was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Limit of agreement analysis revealed poor confidence level for application of current method of SRT in the studied population. However, VO2max was significantly correlated with age (r = 0.71, P < 0.001), body mass (r = 0.58, P < 0.001), body height (r = 0.55, P < 0.001), speed (r = 0.92, P < 0.001) and PVO2max (r = 0.89, P < 0.001). Modified norms in the form of simple and multiple regression equations were applied in the Confirmatory Group. Results suggested a good agreement of the modified equations of SRT in this population with substantially small SEE. Hence, the currently proposed modified norms are recommended to predict VO2max in the studied population.