Original Research A Step Test for Evaluating the Aerobic Fitness of Children and Adolescents With Mental Retardation

The purpose of this study was to determine if a step test could be feasible, reliable, and valid for youths with educable (EMR) or trainable (TMR) mental retardation. Thirteen males and 11 females (age M = 14.7 ± 2.7 yr) with EMR or TMR participated in this study. Three step tests were employed using one platform height and stepping frequencies of 13, 15, and 17 ascents/min for 3 min. Recovery HR was used to estimate VO₂peak. Though significant, correlations between the recovery HR and VO₂peak for the 15 (r = -0.48) and 17 (r = -0.46) ascents/min were not high enough to be considered valid indicators of VO₂peak. The large standard errors of the estimate and total errors suggested systematic errors of prediction. Furthermore, the measured VO₂peak was significantly different from the estimated values at all step rates (p < .05). The step-test was relatively feasible, but was not a valid test of VO₂peak in this population.