Althea Medical Journal
Vol 13, No 2 (2026)

One Minute Stair Step Test in Predicting VO2 max among Healthy Young Adults

Lisna Anisa Fitriana (Department of Nursing, Faculty of Sport and Health Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung)
Upik Rahmi (Department of Nursing, Faculty of Sport and Health Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung)
Setiawan Setiawan (Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran)
Lucky Angkawijaya Roring (Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung)
Hamidie Ronald Daniel Ray (Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung)
Roman Ardian Goenarjo (Department of Medical Biology Pre-Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia)
Zulkarnain Jaafar (Department of Sports Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur)
Farida Murtiani (Department of Research, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 May 2026

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia and hypertension, are increasing among Indonesian young adults despite their apparently healthy status. Valid field methods for assessing VO₂max, a key indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness, are needed for large-scale screening. This study validated the one-minute stair step test (OMSST) against the Bruce treadmill protocol as the reference standard. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 51 healthy males (20.41±0.57 years, BMI 22.52±3.28 kg/m²) in Bandung, Indonesia. VO₂max was measured using the Bruce protocol and estimated using the OMSST (40-cm step, 30 steps/min). Anthropometrics variables, heart rate recovery at 60 seconds (HRR60), and multiple regression variables (age, height, weight, and HRR60) were analyzed using paired t-tests, correlations, and Bland-Altman plots. Results: The mean VO₂max estimated using the OMSST (50.91±3.29 mL/kg/min) closely matched that measured Bruce protocol (49.75±3.61 mL/kg/min; p=0.091), with a small positive bias (1.16 mL/kg/min) and 95% limits of agreement within acceptable bounds. A strong correlation (r=0.85, p<0.001) confirmed validity. HRR60 (91.12±15.10 bpm) significantly predicted VO₂max.Conclusion: OMSST is a valid, simple, low-cost field surrogate for laboratory VO₂max testing in young males, ideal for middle-income settings. Future studies should assess diverse populations and longitudinal reliability.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

amj

Publisher

Subject

Medicine & Pharmacology

Description

Althea Medical Journal (AMJ) is a peer reviewed electronic scientific publication journal which is published every 3 months (March, June, September, and December). Althea Medical Journal publishes articles related to research in biomedical sciences, clinical medicine, family-community medicine, and ...