title: Validity of the step test for exercise prescription: no extension to a larger age range.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of a submaximal exercise test, the Step Test Exercise Prescription (STEP), in a broad age range and in individuals in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Individuals (n = 102) underwent treadmill-based maximal exercise testing and a STEP. The STEP failed to predict peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), and was a biased estimate of VO2peak (p < .0001). Only 43% of subjects' STEP results were within 3.5 ml · kg-1 · min-1 of VO2peak. When categorized into fitness levels these 2 measures demonstrated moderate agreement (kappa = .59). The validity of the STEP was not supported in our participants, including those with AD. The STEP may not be appropriate in the clinic as a basis for exercise recommendations in these groups, although it may continue to have utility in classifying fitness in research or community health screenings.
authors.affiliation: University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Center, Fairway, KS.
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Vidoni
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mattlage
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mahnken
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDonough
authors.forename: Sandra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Billinger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007615:Kansas; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*