Estimation of Maximum Aerobic Capacity and the Effect of Demographic Factors and Personal Habits on it in Students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

One important topic in work physiology is considering maximum aerobic power) VO2max(, which is one of the most important decision-making factors in individual fitness and in prevention of premature aging, and can play a significant role in selecting appropriate workforce. This study was done with the objective of investigating the effect of gender, ethnicity, anthropometric dimensions, physical activity, and smoking on VO2max level in students of Hamadan University of medical sciences. In this descriptive-applied study, 160 students were randomly selected, and after collecting demographic information using written questionnaires, their anthropometric characteristics were measured by a stadiometer. Then, VO2max of the subjects was measured using treadmill and Strand graph. The data were analyzed by nonparametric statistical tests of Mann-Whitney and Pearson’s correlation coefficients. In this research, 41.9% of subjects of the sample were male and 58.1% were female. Also, there was a significant correlation between VO2max and the variables of gender and height (p<0.001), weight (p=0.04), and chest dimension (p<0.001), but sports activities (p=0.059), smoking (p=0.06), and ethnicity had no significant effect on them (p=0.9). The results of this study showed that variables, such as gender, height, weight and chest dimensions can affect VO2max.