Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether cardiorespiratory performance capacity in children is influenced by the daily level of physical activity and whether this relationship is the same at all ages. A group of 257 healthy children performed a continuous graded exercise test on the treadmill until exhaustion. The cardiorespiratory performance capacity was assessed by the ventilatory threshold, the habitual level of physical activity by a standardized questionnaire. It seems that boys are significantly more active than girls, the habitual level of physical activity is significantly influenced by age. Only in boys a significant effect of physical activity on the ventilatory threshold could be shown. In the age span of 12 to 16 years, no difference for the ventilatory threshold could be detected between the most active and the less active boys. However, before and after this age period, the most active boys reached the highest ventilatory threshold and the less active ones the lowest. It is concluded that more active boys show a higher cardiorespiratory performance capacity compared to less active ones, except during puberty. Because in girls the habitual level of physical activity was rather low a discriminative effect of physical activity on the ventilatory threshold is more difficult to show. Verf.-Referat