Aerobic fitness trend in the white collar Czech adult population within last 20 years

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate aerobic fitness trends in the Czech adult white collar population within last 20 years. Aerobic fitness parameters were obtained by bicycle spiroergometry. The workrates 1.0 and 2.0 W · kg−1 were performed for 4 min each. After 2 min break the maximal workrate up to vita maxima was performed so that the examined person would reach the reference W peak· kg−1 in the fifth minute. Aerobic fitness in the Czech population changed unfavorably. The decrement was moderate in men and severe in women. Relative number of subjects performing regular exercise activity declined. Smoking habits increased significantly, especially in men. Body fat increased significantly in both male and female populations. The enhancement of body fat correlated to aerobic fitness. According to the accessible literature, the authors evaluate the aerobic fitness of white collar Czech population as lower than that in the USA and West European countries.