A study on cardiovascular fitness of male medical students

Authors

  • Anirban Mazumder Department of Physiology, North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling-734012, West Bengal Department of Physiology, Nilratan Sircar Medical College, Kolkata -700014, West Bengal
  • Sujoy Prasad Bhattacharyya Department of Physiology, North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling-734012, West Bengal Department of Physiology, Calcutta Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal
  • Kaushik Samajdar Department of Physiology, North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling-734012, West Bengal
  • Partha Pratim Pal Department of Community Medicine, North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling-734012, West Bengal

Keywords:

Obesity, VO2 max, BMI, Waist circumference, Bruce protocol, Metabolic equivalent

Abstract

Background:Cardiovascular fitness has been found to be significantly compromised by obesity, whose prevalence is increasing rapidly. The present study aimed to assess the aerobic exercise performance in terms of maximum aerobic power (VO2 max) of the male students of North Bengal medical college in the age range of 18-22 years.

Methods:The subjects were divided into two groups viz. control (N=52) and study (N=43) on the basis of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Circumference (WC), according to the current Indian guidelines for obesity. The VO2 max was compared among the two groups. It was evaluated using the Bruce protocol, and also expressed in terms of ‘Metabolic equivalents’ (MET).  

Results:VO2 max exhibited significant negative correlation with BMI (r=0.75, P <0.000) and WC (r=0.72, P <0.000). VO2 max was higher for the normal group compared to the study group, and the mean difference was significantly different [P <0.05(0.000)].  

Conclusion:The study thus showed that cardiovascular capacity is compromised by excess adiposity.

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Published

2017-01-05

How to Cite

Mazumder, A., Bhattacharyya, S. P., Samajdar, K., & Pal, P. P. (2017). A study on cardiovascular fitness of male medical students. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 3(1), 11–15. Retrieved from https://www.msjonline.org/index.php/ijrms/article/view/1199

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Original Research Articles