1 Original Article Journal of Health Science and Medical Research J HSMR Contact: Neha Saboo, M.D. Department of Physiology, Rajasthan University for Health Sciences College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302033, India. E-mail: nehasaboo8@gmail.com © 2022 JHSMR. Hosting by Prince of Songkla University. All rights reserved. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://www.jhsmr.org/index.php/jhsmr/about/editorialPolicies#openAccessPolicy). Measured and Predicted Maximal Oxygen Consumption (VO 2 max) in Healthy Young Adults: a Cross-Sectional Study Karampreet Kour Buttar, Ph.D., Neha Saboo, M.D., Ph.D., Sudhanshu Kacker, M.D. Department of Physiology, Rajasthan University for Health Sciences College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302033, India. Received 8 June 2022 l Revised 10 July 2022 l Accepted 16 July 2022 l Published online 2 September 2022 Abstract: Objective: Maximal oxygen consumption (VO 2 max) can be estimated using maximal or sub-maximal tests, by direct or indirect methods.The Queen’s College Step Test (QCT) is used very frequently to estimate VO 2 max due to its simple, safe, quick and feasible approach. Originally the QCT was developed for the white race population, which is diferent from the Indian population in terms of ethnicity. So the present study was conducted to validate the applicability of the QCT to indirectly estimate VO 2 max in Indian adults. Material and Methods: A total of 419 apparently healthy students (male and female) were recruited for the study by the RUHS College of Medical Sciences (RUHS-CMS), Jaipur from January 2019 to March 2020 by random number table generator sampling. Direct estimation of VO 2 max was performed by sub-maximal exercise testing on a treadmill using a gas analyzer, while VO 2 max was indirectly predicted by the standard QCT protocol. The collected data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using unpaired student t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and regression analysis. Results: The average directly measured VO 2 max (ml/kg/min) in males was 45.30±7.35, and for women was 35.71±5.29, and predicted by the QCT was 49.01 for males and 38.83±5.30 for females. The diference between the measured and predicted mean VO 2 max (PVO 2 max) values was statistically signifcant (p-value<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, actual VO 2 max was lower than the predicted VO 2 max from the QCT. The results of this study suggest that a new equation derived from the present data, recommended to assess VO 2 max using QCT in the Indian population, especially when large numbers of participants need to be tested in the absence of a well-equipped laboratory. Keywords: cardiorespiratory ftness, direct method, gas analyzer, maximal oxygen consumption, Queen College’s Step Test J Health Sci Med Res ............... doi: 10.31584/jhsmr.2022896 www.jhsmr.org