Original Research

The FitTrack Index as fitness indicator: A pilot study

Dina C. Janse van Rensburg, Catharina C. Grant, Audrey Jansen van Rensburg, Roelf P.G. Botha, Paola S. Wood, Kim Nolte, Lizelle Fletcher, Peet J. du Toit, Michael S. Pepper, Pieter E. Kruger
Health SA Gesondheid | Vol 21 | a1004 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hsag.v21i0.1004 | © 2016 Dina C. Janse van Rensburg, Catharina C. Grant, Audrey Jansen van Rensburg, Roelf P.G. Botha, Paola S. Wood, Kim Nolte, Lizelle Fletcher, Peet J. du Toit, Michael S. Pepper, Pieter E. Kruger | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 10 October 2017 | Published: 11 October 2016

About the author(s)

Dina C. Janse van Rensburg, Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria; Exercise SMART Team, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Catharina C. Grant, Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria; Exercise SMART Team, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Audrey Jansen van Rensburg, Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria; Exercise SMART Team, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Roelf P.G. Botha, Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Paola S. Wood, Exercise SMART Team, University of Pretoria; Department of Biokinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria; Institute for Sports Research, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Kim Nolte, Department of Biokinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria; Institute for Food, Nutrition and Well-being, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Lizelle Fletcher, Department of Statistics, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Peet J. du Toit, Exercise SMART Team, University of Pretoria; Institute for Food, Nutrition and Well-being, University of Pretoria; Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria; Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Michael S. Pepper, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Pretoria; Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Pieter E. Kruger, Exercise SMART Team, University of Pretoria; Department of Biokinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria; Institute for Sports Research, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pretoria, South Africa

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Abstract

Background: The FitTrack Index is a web-based programme developed in South Africa and widely used by athletes to indicate their fitness. A need exists for a self-managed, noninvasive tool to evaluate and categorise health-related fitness in different population groups. The aim of this study was to compare the FitTrack Index with a reliable measure of cardio-respiratory fitness as indicated by maximal oxygen uptake (direct VO2max).

Methods & results: During a 12-week cross-sectional, descriptive pilot study the direct laboratory tested VO2max indicated a moderate to strong correlation with the FitTrack Index (Spearman's rho = 0.439, p = 0.089 at baseline; Spearman's rho =0.853, p < 0.001 after 12 weeks).

Conclusions: These results suggest that the web-based FitTrack Index may be considered an appropriate tool to evaluate exercise capacity and cardiovascular fitness in healthy individuals following an aerobic training programme.


Keywords

Aerobic fitness; Exercise ability; Recreational fitness; Cardiovascular fitness; Fitness indication; VO2max

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