Scaling peak ??VO2 for differences in body size

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Abstract
This paper examined the influence of different statistical modeling techniques on the interpretation of peak ˙VO2 data in groups of prepubertal, circumpubertal, and adult males (group 1M, N = 29; group 2M, N = 26; group 3M, N = 8) and females (group 1F,N = 33; group 2F, N = 34; group 3F, N = 16). Conventional comparisons of the simple per-body-mass ratio(ml·kg-1·min-1) revealed no significant differences between the three male groups (P < 0.05). In females, a decline in ˙VO2 between group 2F and 3F was observed (P< 0.05). Both linear and log-linear (allometric) models revealed significant increases across all three male groups for peak ˙VO2 adjusted for body mass (P < 0.05). In females these scaling models identified a significantly lower peak ˙VO2 in group 1F versus groups 2F and 3F (P < 0.05). Based upon the common mass exponent identified (b = 0.80, SE = 0.04), power function ratios(y·mass0.80) were generated and the logarithms of these compared. Again, results indicated a progressive increase in peak˙VO2 across groups 1M to 3M (P < 0.05) and an increase between groups 1F and 2F (P < 0.05). Incorporating stature into the allometric equation reduced the mass exponent to 0.71 (SE = 0.06) with the contribution of the stature exponent shown to be 0.44 (SE = 0.20). These results indicate that conventional ration standards do not adequately account for body size differences when investigating functional changes in peak˙VO2.