Stairway to Heaven: Evaluation of Cardiorespiratory Fitness with a Simple Standardized Stair Climbing Test in Comparison to Standard Treadmill Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and 6-Minute Walking Test

Background: According to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Intensive research has shown that the cardiorespiratory exercise capacity of our organism is one of the decisive, if not the decisive factor in prevention of cardiovascular events or to curb existing risk factors and influence morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, this parameter is only rarely recorded in routine clinical examinations. Currently, after individual indication, spiroergometry is considered the gold standard for assessing individual exercise capacity. Alternatively, only the submaximal six-minute walking test (6MWT) is available so far. The aim of this study is to develop a standardized stair climbing test (SCT) with a reliable correlation to spiroergometry and 6MWT.

Method: This pilot study was conducted between February and September 2021. A total of 52 healthy participants were included, aged 18 to 30 years. We tested the individuals’ cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) by a treadmill exercise test and 6MWT (protocol recommended by the German association of pediatric cardiology [DGPK]) and a defined SCT according to our standardized protocol. In our SCT the individuals had to climb four floors (13.14 m height) up and down as fast as possible; the time (tSCT) was stopped, and the vital signs were measured during this test. The correlation of the results from the simple exercise tests to CPET was evaluated.

Results: We could show that there is a good correlation between the distance recorded by the 6MWT and the VO₂ max values achieved during spiroergometry (r = 0.694; p ≤ 0.001). In addition, we could demonstrate an even stronger significant correlation between the measured time during the SCT and VO₂ max (r = −0.783; p ≤ 0.001). There was also a good correlation between the distance achieved during within the 6MWT and the passage time of our stair climbing test (r = −0.709; p ≤ 0.001). Finally, the calculated oxygen pulse (VO₂ max/HF max) showed a correlation with the values of the stair climbing test (r = −0.779; p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between the three stress tests mentioned above. With a strong correlation of CPET VO₂ max and oxygen pulse to the measured SCT time and oxygen pulse. Therefore, the SCT could be used as a simple and cheap standardized exercise test to evaluate the CRF, and in addition as a screening test for cardiorespiratory fitness.

Publication History

Article published online:
28 January 2023