Derivation of fitness indicators and their relation with hemodynamic factors

Few large-scale epidemiological studies have included measures of cardio-respiratory fitness, but those that have indicate that it is strongly related to metabolic disease, cardiovascular outcomes, some cancers, and all-cause mortality.
Some recent estimates from Health Survey for England (2008) indicate mean levels of fitness to be around 32 and 36 ml O2/min/kg for adult women and men, respectively. It is generally agreed, however, that this represents an overestimate due to stringent exclusion criteria (>40%).
The exercise test used in UK Biobank was designed to be as inclusive as possible to maximise the potential for linkage with incident disease. More specifically, exercise protocols were individualised to take into account participant characteristics including risk category.
This proposal aims to derive fitness indicators from information collected during the exercise test, and describe their variation by appropriate subgroups. Finally, we aim to demonstrate the etiological utility of derived fitness measures by examining the cross-sectional association with blood pressure and arterial stiffness.