title: Health-related physical fitness of adolescents and young adults with myelomeningocele.
abstract: To assess components of health-related physical fitness in adolescents and young adults with myelomeningocele (MMC), and to study relations between aerobic capacity and other health-related physical fitness components. This cross-sectional study included 50 adolescents and young adults with MMC, aged 16-30 years (25 males). Aerobic capacity was quantified by measuring peak oxygen uptake (peakVO2) during a maximal exercise test on a cycle or arm ergometer depending on the main mode of ambulation. Muscle strength of upper and lower extremity muscles was assessed using a hand-held dynamometer. Regarding flexibility, we assessed mobility of hip, knee and ankle joints. Body composition was assessed by measuring thickness of four skin-folds. Relations were studied using linear regression analyses. Average peakVO2 was 1.48+/-0.52 l/min, 61% of the participants had subnormal muscle strength, 61% had mobility restrictions in at least one joint and average sum of four skin-folds was 74.8+/-38.8 mm. PeakVO2 was significantly related to gender, ambulatory status and muscle strength, explaining 55% of its variance. Adolescents and young adults with MMC have poor health-related physical fitness. Gender and ambulatory status are important determinants of peakVO2. In addition, we found a small, but significant relationship between peakVO2 and muscle strength.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. L.buffart@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Laurien M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Buffart
authors.forename: Rita J G
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: van den Berg-Emons
authors.forename: Marie S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: van Wijlen-Hempel
authors.forename: Henk J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Stam
authors.forename: Marij E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Roebroeck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D001823:Body Composition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000503:physiopathology*; D053580:Muscle Strength; D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009426:Netherlands; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010809:Physical Fitness; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012737:Sex Factors; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D016138:Walking