Gender differences in aerobic fitness of Nigerian school children

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether aerobic fitness (peak VO2) differed between adolescent boys (n=58) and girls (n=52) of similar age (15.3 yr). Peak VO2 was assessed indirectly with mile run walk (MRW) test. Results showed that the boys' peak VO2 was significantly higher (p<0.0001) than that of the girls whether expressed in L.min(-1) (2.6 +/- 0.4 vs 2.0 +/- 0.4) or ml.kg(-1).min(-1) (50.9 +/- 4.2 vs 44.0 +/- 3.1) or body weight raised to 0.67 power. Whereas peak VO2 expressed relative to FFW was not significantly different between the sexes. Stepwise and multiple regression analysis indicated that for boys, a substantial portion of the variance in peak VO2 was explained by fat free weight (FFW), whereas aerobic power variation in girls could be explained substantially by body weight. Within the limitations of this study, it was concluded that gender differences in aerobic power of adolescent children are a function of FFW and body weight.