NO. 4-The ADOPTION OF UKK WALK TEST

SUMMER 2005 (Volume XLI, No.3) Abstract Purpose of this study was to assess cardiorespiratory fitness of a group of 60 U.S women, using the UKK Km walk test, and to compare fitness of the study group to Nigerian women and reported norms Participants’ height, weight, BMI, and body fat percentage, and resting values of heart rate and blood pressure were measured Subjects walked km as fast as they could on an indoor track wearing a polar heart rate monitor The UKK Institute’s prediction equation was used to calculate a fitness index based on gender, age, body weight, time to walk km, and heart rate at the end of the walk Means, standard deviations, and the calculated fitness index were used in the analysis Results showed the older age brackets had higher values in the variables tested, and were considered overweight, while some were obese Resting values of all subjects were within normal range for blood pressure Fitness indices showed the 20-30 years age bracket had a mean of 91.81 (average cardiorespiratory fitness), while the other groups had lower scores Involvement in physical activity for 30 minutes duration, 3-5 days a week is recommended as a means of improving cardiorespiratory fitness ResumenEl propósito de esta investigación fue el de evaluar la condición física cardiorespiratoria de un grupo de 60 mujeres estadounidenses, empleando la prueba UKK de caminar km (UKK Km walk test) y comparar la condición física del grupo estudiado otro de nigerianas y normas existentes Se midió la estatura, peso, BMI, porcentaje de grasa corporal y valores de pulso y tensión arterial en descanso de las participantes Las participantes caminaron km tan rápido como podían en una pista al aire libre mientras portaban monitores polares de pulso cardíaco La ecuación de predicción del Instituto UKK fue empleado para calcular un índice de condición física basado en el sexo, edad, peso corporal, tiempo para caminar los km y el pulso al final de la caminata Los promedios, desviaciones estándares y el índice de condición física calculado fueron usados en el análisis Los resultados indicaron que los grupos de más edad tenían valores mayores en las variables medidas y fueron clasificados como teniendo exceso de peso y, algunos, obesos Los valores de tensión arterial en descanso fueron normales para todas las participantes Los índices de condición física indicaron un promedio de 91,81 para el grupo de 20-30 años de edad, mientras los otros grupos tenían marcas más bajas Se recomienda participar en la actividad física por 30 minutos, 3-5 días por semana como medio para mejorar la condición física cardiorrespiratoria Zusammenfassung Ziel dieser Untersuchung war es, die aerobe Ausdauer von 60 amerikanischen Frauen mit Hilfe des UKK 2-km Gehtests zu messen, und mit der Ausdauer nigerianischer Frauen sowie Normwerten zu vergleichen Kưrpergrưße, Gewicht, BMI, Kưrperfett, Ruhepuls und -blutdruck der Probanden wurden gemessen Die Probanden trugen einen Polar Pulsmesser und gingen zwei Kilometer auf einer Hallenbahn so schnell sie konnten Mit Hilfe der Regressionsgleichung des UKK-Instituts basierend auf Geschlecht, Alter, Körpergewicht, 2km-Zeit und Puls am Ende der zwei Kilometer, wurde ein Fitnessindexberechnet Mittelwerte, Standardabweichungen und der errechnete Fitnessindex gingen in die Analyse ein Die Resultate ergaben, dass die älteren Gruppen in den getesteten Variablenhöhere Werte sowie Übergewicht hatten Der Blutdruck aller Probanden war im normalen Bereich Der durchschnittliche Fitnessindex für die 20-30jährigen war 91,81 (durchschnittliche aerobe Ausdauer), während die anderen drei Gruppen niedrigere Werte hatten Körperliche Aktivität für 30 Minuten an drei bis fünf Tagen pro Woche wird als Mittel zur Verbesserung der aeroben Ausdauer empfohlen Rộsumộ ?? ệzet Bu ỗalýỵmanýn amacý 60 kiºiden oluºan Amerika Birleºik Devletlerinden bir bayan gurubunun ve Nijeryalý bayanlarýn kalp ve dolaỵým sistemi uygunluunun, kilometre yỹrỹme testi kullanýlarak karỵýlaỵtýrýlmasýdýr Nijeryalý bayanlarýn daha ửnce rapor edilen normlarý katýlýmcýlarýn boyu, vücut aðýrlýðý, vücut kütle indeksi, vücut yað yỹzdesi, dinlenik kalp atým sayýsý ve kan basýncý olarak ửlỗỹldỹ Katýlýmcýlar kalp atým sayýsýný ửlỗen monitửrler takarak kapalý bir atletizm sahasýnda kilometre mümkün olduðunca hýzla yürüdüler UKK enstitüsu tahmin denklemi fiziksel uygunluk indeksini hesaplamak amacýyla cinsiyet, yaº, vücut aðýrlýðý, yürüme zamaný ve yürüyüº sonundaki kalp atým sayýsý temel alýndý Ortalama, standart sapma ve fiziksel uygunluk indeksi analiz amacýyla kullanýldý Sonuỗlar gửstermektedirki ỹst ya gurubundaki deneklerin vucut aýrlýýnýn fazla ve bazýlarýnýnda obez olduklarý bulundu Tüm deneklerin dinlenik kan basýncý deðerleri normal bulundu Ayrýca 20-30 yaº gurubunun kalp dayanýklýlýk sistemlerinin diðer guruplara göre daha iyi olduðu bulundu Adoption of the UKK Walk Test in the Assessment of Cardiorespiratory Fitness of Women Grace O Otinwa SUMMER 2005 (Volume XLI, No.3) 23 O There are numerous classic graded exercise test protocols for determining cardiorespiratory fitness used across the globe Many popular and standardized tests have been developed by and for the United States population (Heyward, 2002) Use of a maximal or submaximal graded exercise test depends on availability of equipment and experience of personnel Direct measurement of VO2 max in the laboratory presents difficulties such as requiring expensive equipment (metabolic gas analyzer), which is not accessible in developing countries of the world It also requires maximal effort of participants and is not time efficient Field and laboratory tests have been designed to supply estimates of maximum oxygen consumption Simple field tests that provide good estimates of VO2 max include distance runs, twelveminute run, 1.5 mile run/walk, mile jog, step tests, and mile walk (Fahey, Insel, & Roth, 2003) Walking as an assessment protocol for predicting VO2 max is simple, suitable, cheap, and socially acceptable for the purpose of mass testing when compared to laboratory methods The URHO Kaleva Kekkonen (UKK) test was developed at the UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland, for the Finnish population (Oja, Laukkanen, Pasanen, Tyry, & Vuori, 1991) The test is based on a km brisk walk Gender specific equations for predicting Vo2 max were also established Purpose of this study was to assess the cardiorespiratory fitness of United States women using the UKK walk test and to determine whether there was a similar distribution in fitness between the study sample and a group of Nigerian women Method Subjects A total of 67apparently healthy females participated in the study Seven volunteers were excluded because of medical contraindications The subjects’ ages ranged from 20 to 60 years Table displays the descriptive statistics for the physical characteristics of the subjects in each age bracket Subjects were recruited through advertisements placed in local publications, and contacts were made by the researcher through U.N.I campus e-mail addresses All testing was performed at the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services, University of Northern Iowa (U.S.A), in the Exercise Physiology laboratory and the indoor track The U.N.I Institutional Review Board approved all protocols before any testing was done Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects before testing To assess subjects’ suitability to participate in the study, the Physical Activity Readiness (PAR-Q) questionnaire (Heyward, 2002) was administered Laboratory Test Procedures Subjects’ age, height, and weight were measured in light clothing (without shoes) with a stadiometer and calibrated physician’s scale Body mass index (BMI) was determined, and body fat percent was measured using bioelectrical impedance (BIA-101 RJL system) From impedance measurements body water and percent body fat were computed using equations supplied by the manufacturer (FFW; Plowman and Smith, 2003) Following five minutes of quiet rest, heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured, using an automated instrument 24 Journal of ICHPER•SD Walking Test Procedures After the resting variables were determined, a heart rate monitor (Polar, E Series) was attached around the chest below the pectoral muscle and across the sternum The transmitter was in direct contact with the skin Verbal instructions were given before the walk commenced Subjects warmed up for five to ten minutes by performing stretches and slow walking Subjects were then instructed to walk km (~1.25 miles) as fast as possible on an indoor track Heart rate readings taken at the end of walk were considered the walking heart rates Time taken to complete walks was recorded at the end of km Distance covered was monitored through the use of a lap counter Walking time, heart rate, BMI, and age were entered in the prediction formula, and the estimated Vo2 max was determined Statistical analysis was based on the UKK prediction equation specified for females: VO2 max = 116.2 - 2.98(time) - 0.11(HR) 0.14(age) - 0.39(BMI) (Laukkanen, Kukkonen-Harjula, Oja, Pasanen, & Vuori, 2000) Results Results are given as means and standard deviations, reflecting subjects’ performances in their various age brackets Estimated VO2 max values were compared with a group of Nigerian women Subjects in all age brackets, except 31-40 years, were found to weigh more than the mean body weight norm of U.S women The women in the 20-30 years bracket were taller than the U.S norm of 1.62 m, while those in the 31-40 and 41-50 brackets were slightly shorter Women in the oldest age bracket were close to the U.S norm of 1.61 m (Nieman, 2003) Body mass index measurements indicated that ages 31-40 had normal BMI while those in the 20-30 and 41-50 years brackets had high BMIs, an indication of overweight Subjects in the 51- 60 years age bracket were classified as being in class obesity according to U.S BMI standards (WHO, 1988; Plowman & Smith, 2003) The first two groups were within normal body fat percent levels; the last two groups had above the recommended 30% body fat Table shows resting heart rate and blood pressure values of subjects The mean heart rate values of the 20-30 and 31-40 age groups rated good, while values for 41-50 years and 51-60 years rated average with respect to resting heart rates of U.S women, (Hoeger & Hoeger 2002) Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures of all subjects were at low risk levels (below 120/80 mmHg) for cardiovascular diseases (Hoeger & Hoeger); the 31-40 years group had the lowest blood pressure reading Physiological data on walking performances are presented in Table Maximal oxygen consumption of subjects showed the youngest group as being average on the UKK 2-Km Walk test fitness category, while the other age groups rated below average In Table Physical Characteristics of Subjects (M ± SD) Age (yrs) 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-65 n 25 19 10 Weight (kg) 68.57 (±13.57) 67.62 (±15.34) 74.01 (±14.89) 79.90 (±15.21) Height (m) 1.66 (±0.09) 1.59 (±0.08) 1.64 (±0.07) 1.61 (±0.13) BMI (Kg/m2) 25.73 (±6.37) 24.67 (±5.35) 27.86 (±5.90) 31.15 (±11.9) Fat (%) 29.84 (±9.67) 28.83 (±6.94) 34.58 (±10.18) 36.04 (±9.25) Table Resting HR and BP Values of Subjects (M ± SD) Age (yrs) 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-65 RHR (bmp) 67.72 (±9.33) 71 (±12.31) 71 (±10.05) 74 (±14.2) RSB/P (mmHg) 110 (±10.70) 109 (± 8.36) 114 (±17.83) 118 (±9.95) RDB/P (mmHg) 68.56 (±10.20) 70 (±7.44) 74 (±12.34) 77 (±6.97) RHR = resting heart rate; RSB/P = resting systolic blood pressure; RDB/P = resting diastolic blood pressure Table Performance Times, Heart Rates, and Fitness Indices of Subjects (M ± SD) Age (yrs) 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-65 Time (min/sec) 17.20 (±1.83) 18.22 (±1.54) 19.35 (±1.95) 19.21 (±2.0) Exer HR (bmp) 139 (±27.16) 142 (±19.50) 138 (±17.91) 137 (±17.99) VO2max (ml/kg/min) 35.06 (±7.51) 30.48 (±6.09) 23.72 (±6.81) 20.63 (±9.15) SUMMER 2005 (Volume XLI, No.3) 25 a similar study conducted by Otinwa, Phillips, and Mbakwem (2005) using Nigerian women, values of VO2 max obtained by subjects were: 22.03(+7.22) ml/Kg/min for 20-40 years, 17.56(+10.15) ml/Kg/min for 41-50 years, and 21.09(+7.92) ml/Kg/min for 51-60 years All Nigerian subjects were considerably below average on the UKK fitness ratings (UKK Institute, n.d.) In comparing this result with the current study, the U.S women performed better than Nigerian women in the walk test and therefore rated better in cardiorespiratory fitness level Discussion The excess body weight, BMI, and % BF recorded by the older age group (51-65 years) showed that as females grow older, age becomes a factor which leads to the incidence of obesity, as ages 51-65 were found to be in the class obesity Even though a European fitness test was adopted in this study, this finding supports earlier studies, which reported that by middle age, one-third of the U.S population is considered obese Despite awareness on dieting, weight control, and exercise, large numbers of people of all ages in the U.S are either overweight or obese (Plowman &Smith, 2003; Powers & Howley, 2001; Williamson, 1993) The normal resting blood pressure range of subjects was an indication of relatively strong hearts, indicating low risk levels for the onset of cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and strokes (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2002) This implies that these subjects may not be predisposed to cardiovascular diseases due to high blood pressure Cardiorespiratory fitness has been recognized as the single most important component of health related fitness The low cardiorespiratory fitness levels recorded among the older age brackets was an indication that the ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply fuel during sustained physical activity was low (American Heart Association, 2003) Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for the onset of coronary artery disease The National Center for Chronic Disease, Prevention and Health Promotion (2003) reported the level of physical inactivity among U.S women ages 45-64 in the year 2000 to be under 30% This figure has a tendency to increase if efforts are not made to raise individuals’ levels of activity In addition to inactivity, other contributing factors, such as obesity and high cholesterol, that increase risk levels, were observed in this study Walking, swimming, or jogging for about 30 minutes every day can improve peoples’ heart, lungs, and circulatory systems by increasing heart rate and breathing for extended periods of time The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USDHHS, 1999) and American College of Sports Medicine (2000) recommended 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week Activities can be broken into smaller segments of 10 minutes, three times (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 1999) Adequate diet and reduction in fat intake may also help improve fitness levels Conclusion The findings of this study showed that even though a European test was adopted in assessing U.S women, results obtained corroborated earlier studies conducted using a U.S developed cardiorespiratory fitness test (Nieman, 2003) Since excessive body weight and physical inactivity not afford individuals the fitness level to enjoy vigorous lifetime activities, it is recommended that high fitness levels should be the goal of every woman and, indeed, every person, Achieving higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels requires commitment of time and energy for regular activities other than sedentary work Aerobic training can greatly improve cardiorespiratory fitness (Edlin, Golanty, & Brown, 2002) The higher the individual’s fitness level, the lower the mortality rate, regardless of body weight (Barlow, Kohl, Gibbons, & Blair, 1996) References American College of Sports Medicine (2000) ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (6thed.) Philadelphia: Williams & Wilkins American Heart Association (2003) Exercise physical activity for older people Retrieved October 13, 2003, from www.jofulaging.com/ex.htm Barlow, C.E., Kohl, H.W., Gibbons, L.W., & Blair, S.N (1996) Physical fitness, mortality and obesity International Journal of Obesity, 19, 41-44 Edlin, G., Golanty, E., & Brown, K.M (2002) Health and wellness Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers Fahey, T.D., Insel, P.M., & Roth, W.T (2003) Fit and well: Core concepts and labs in physical fitness and wellness Dubuque, IA: McGraw–Hill Heyward, H.V (2002) Advanced fitness assessment and exercise prescription Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Hoeger, W.K., & Hoeger, S.A (2002) Principles and labs for fitness and wellness Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Laukkanen, R.M.T., Kukkonen-Harjula, T.K., Oja, P., Pasanen, M.E., & Vuori, I.M (2000) Prediction of change in maximal aerobic power by the 2-km walk test after walking training in middle-aged adults International Journal of Sports Medicine, 21, 113-116 National Center for Chronic Disease, Prevention and Health Promotion (2003) Nutrition and physical activity Retrieved October 13, 2003, from www.cdc.gov/ccdphp/dnpa/physical Nieman, D.C (2003) Exercise testing and prescription: A health related approach New York: McGraw–Hill Higher Education Oja, P., Laukkanen, R., Pasanen, M., Tyry, T., & Vuori, I.A (1991) 2-Km walking test for assessing the cardiorespiratory fitness of healthy adults International Journal of Sports Medicine, 12, 356-362 Otinwa, G.O., Phillips, A.O., & Mbakwen, A.C (2005) Cardiorespiratory fitness of University of Lagos female administrators Manuscript submitted for publication Plowman, S.A., & Smith, D.L (2003) Exercise physiology for health, fitness and performance New York: Benjamin Cummings Powers, S.K., & Howley, E.T (2001) Exercise physiology: Theory and applications to fitness and performance Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill UKK Institute (n.d.) UKK 2-Km walking test (manual) Tampere, Finland: The UKK Institute U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (1999) Physical activity and health: A report of the Surgeon General Retrieved October 13, 2003, from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/sgr.htm Williamson, D.F (1993) Descriptive epidemiology of body weight and weight change in U.S adults Annals of International Medicine, 119, 646-649 World Health Organization (1998) Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic report of a WHO consultation on obesity Geneva: Author  ... bulundu Adoption of the UKK Walk Test in the Assessment of Cardiorespiratory Fitness of Women Grace O Otinwa SUMMER 2005 (Volume XLI, No.3 ) 23 O There are numerous classic graded exercise test protocols... at the end of walk were considered the walking heart rates Time taken to complete walks was recorded at the end of km Distance covered was monitored through the use of a lap counter Walking time,... CA: Wadsworth Laukkanen, R.M.T., Kukkonen-Harjula, T.K., Oja, P., Pasanen, M.E., & Vuori, I.M (2000) Prediction of change in maximal aerobic power by the 2-km walk test after walking training