Feasibility and Preliminary Results of a Standardized Stair Climbing Test to Evaluate Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Children and Adolescents in a Non-Clinical Setting: The “Hand Aufs Herz” Study

Morassutti Vitale, Federico; Wieprecht, Jennifer; Baethmann, Maren; Gomes, Delphina ; Tengler, Anja; Riley, Roxana; Shamas, Samar ; Müller, Marcel ; Mandilaras, Guido; Manai, Simone Katrin; Jaros, Maria; Haas, Nikolaus Alexander und Schrader, Meike (2025): Feasibility and Preliminary Results of a Standardized Stair Climbing Test to Evaluate Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Children and Adolescents in a Non-Clinical Setting: The “Hand Aufs Herz” Study. In: Children, Bd. 12, Nr. 8, 993

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is of great interest in children and adolescents. Due to the limited availability of cardiopulmonary exercise testing, simple and reliable alternatives are needed. A stair climbing test (SCT) for the assessment of CRF developed at the Department of Pediatric Cardiology of the LMU University Hospital in Munich showed a strong correlation with VO2max. The aim of this study is to prove its feasibility in a non-clinical setting and to analyse its results in a larger study population. Methods: During the "Hand aufs Herz" study, a comprehensive cardiovascular examination was carried out on 922 pupils and siblings (13.2 ± 7.8 years) at a high school in Bavaria. The SCT was performed to evaluate CRF: participants had to run up and down a total of four floors (14.8 m) as quickly as possible without skipping steps or holding on to the banister. Absolute time has been normalized over the standard height of 12 m to allow comparisons with different settings. An SCT Index was calculated to adjust results to the different weights of participants and the exact height of the staircase. Results: The SCT proved to be easily feasible and safe in non-clinical contexts. Out of 922 participants, 13 (1.4%) were not able to perform the test, and 3 (0.3%) had to interrupt it following fatigue or stumbling. A total of 827 participants aged from 9 to 17 years (13.1 ± 2.1 years, 45.8% girls) had a mean absolute SCT time of 53.4 ± 6.2 s and 43.3 ± 5.1 s when normalized over 12 m. Conclusions: The SCT represents a simple, cost- and time-saving test that allows a rapid and solid assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents. We could demonstrate that it is safe and feasible in non-clinical contexts. Its short duration and universal applicability are valuable advantages that could facilitate the establishment of a repetitive cardiovascular screening in the pediatric population, particularly in outpatient departments or settings with low-resource systems.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin > Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie ; Medizin > Klinikum der LMU München > Kinderchirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik im Dr. von Haunerschen Kinderspital
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 2227-9067
• Sprache: Englisch