Call number: LD2668 .T4 1979 S64 / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Cooper 12 Minute Run test and Bruce Multistage Treadmill test measure the same type of cardiovascular-endurance performance when testing adult women. A second purpose was to determine whether divergent levels of habitual activity by women are reflected in the scores on each test. Four groups of habitual activity were defined and labeled as follows: non-exercisers, minimal exercisers, adequate exercisers, and more than adequate exercisers. Ten healthy women were selected as subjects in each group. Subjects ranged in age from 22 to 35 years and were within the normal weight range according to standard tables. Each subject was tested in accordance with the appropriate protocol on the Bruce test and on the 12 Minute Run test. When individual scores for the two tests were correlated the data seemed to indicate that they were comparable measures of cardiovascular endurance performance. (r = 0.9097) An analysis of variance among group scores was performed for each test and highly significant F ratios were obtained. (F = 24.07 Bruce; F = 20.77 12 Minute Run) The most likely reason for the differences was seen as the divergent levels of habitual activity in each group. Contrasting tests were performed among groups and various combinations of groups. All test comparisons reached significance except for the one contrasting the 12 Minute Run scores of the two groups with the lowest activity levels. It was concluded that for the population of women at various levels of habitual activity who are represented by the selected sample in this study: the Bruce Multistage Treadmill test and the Cooper 12 Minute Run test measure largely the same type of cardiovascular endurance performance and that each test appears to adequately discriminate among women of divergent levels of habitual activity except at the lowest levels.