The Awareness of Young Athletes about Cardiopulmonary Fitness and Its Correlation to Functional Capacity: A Survey-Based Study

Background: Cardiopulmonary (CP) fitness is critical for optimal athletic performance and overall health. Understanding athletes' awareness of its importance can dictate and guide training and health strategies.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the awareness of young athletes about cardiopulmonary fitness and examine its correlation with functional capacity. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional survey study involving 400 young athletes (aged 17-25) from Cairo and Giza. was conducted using structured questionnaires to assess awareness and submaximal one-mile jog field test for functional capacity and maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂ max) estimations.
 Results: The mean VO₂max was 54.84 ± 4.37 ml/kg/min. Awareness levels were categorized as good (15.5%, 62 athletes), moderate (25.5%, 102 athletes), and poor (59%, 236 athletes). Female athletes had better awareness than males, with 26.2% of females showing good awareness compared to 12.7% of males (χ² = 10.19, p = 0.006). A positive correlation was observed between VO₂ max and awareness levels (r = 0.726, p = 0.001). Athletes with good awareness had a VO₂ max of 58.47 ± 3.37 ml/kg/min, those with moderate awareness had 56.27 ± 2.51 ml/kg/min, and those with poor awareness had 53.22 ± 4.42 ml/kg/min. Significant differences in VO₂max were found between good and moderate awareness (+2.2 ml/kg/min, p = 0.001), good and poor awareness (+5.25 ml/kg/min, p = 0.001), and moderate and poor awareness (+3.05 ml/kg/min, p = 0.001). The results highlighted the role of awareness in enhancing functional capacity.
Conclusions: Increased awareness of CP fitness is associated with improved functional capacity. Targeted educational programs are recommended to enhance athletic performance and health outcomes.