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Normal Range of Cardio-respiratory Fitness for Chinese Adults Established
¡@¡@The Chinese University of Hong Kong has conducted in 2003 - 2004 the first cross-sectional study of the aerobic capacity of healthy Chinese aged from 20 to 64 with an aim to investigate their cardio-pulmonary fitness. 221 female and 196 male subjects with no pervious history of cardiopulmonary disease were recruited from the community. Symptom limited maximal exercise testing on an electrically braked bicycle was performed to assess the maximum aerobic capacity (VO2max), where the participant was connected to a calibrated metabolic cart for gas analysis. Their body composition data were also assessed. ¡@¡@The results show that maximal heart rate, maximal ventilation and oxygen uptake decreased with age, while the percentage of body fat increased with age in both genders. The decline in aerobic power in both Chinese females and males over time was found to depend on aging and body composition. The worst age group was the group of 25 to 34 years followed by the age group of 35 to 44. Interestingly, a recent report from Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection also stated that 30% of Hong Kong population lacks regular exercises, which is consistent with this study of which a decrease of aerobic capacity in that age group was shown. In addition, subjects in this study showed a significantly lower cardio-respiratory fitness levels in both male and female when compared with their counterparts in USA as reported by the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research, TX. ¡@¡@The normal range of aerobic power in Chinese obtained in the study provides a valuable reference to assess health and fitness in Chinese objectively. This reference range could be used as a guideline for comparative analysis between individuals or groups on a variety of measures relating to fitness. This guideline can further be used for comparing individuals or groups to their peers for risk assessment or identifying those individuals where fitness may be deteriorating at an unusual rate. ¡@¡@Results from this study also suggested that percentage of body fat and lean body mass were important determinants of the decline in aerobic power observed over time. With these guidelines, the School of Public Health has designed its lifestyle modification programmes accordingly to help improve fitness and overall health of the general public, targeting individuals' need using standard methods and assessments. With the applications of our programmes, we will be able to advance the overall conscience of adopting a healthy lifestyle for people in Hong Kong. (Enquiry hotline: 22528766, 22528765 or 22528831)
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