The Harvard step test, in scientific literature sometimes referred to as the Brouha Test, is a type of cardiac stress test for detecting and diagnosing cardiovascular disease. It is also a good measurement of fitness and a person's ability to recover after a strenuous exercise by checking the recovery rate. The test was developed by Lucien Brouha and his associates in 1942.[1][2][3]
| Harvard step test | |
|---|---|
| Purpose | cardiac stress test |
Procedure
editThe test subject repeatedly steps onto and off of a platform every two seconds.[2] The height of the platform is 20 inches or 51 centimetres for men and 16 inches or 41 centimetres for women. The rate of 30 steps per minute must be sustained for five minutes or until exhaustion. To ensure the right speed, a metronome is used. Exhaustion is the point at which the subject cannot maintain the stepping rate for 15 seconds. The subject immediately sits down on completion of the test, and the heartbeats are counted for 1 to 1.5, 2 to 2.5, and 3 to 3.5 minutes.[3]
The results are written down as time until exhaustion in seconds ( ) and total heartbeats counted ( ). It is plotted into a simple fitness index equation:[3]
The outcome of the equation is rated as follows:[4]
| Rating | Fitness index |
|---|---|
| Excellent | > 96 |
| Good | 83–96 |
| Average | 68–82 |
| Low average | 54–67 |
| Poor | < 54 |
Modified versions
editThe test was developed at Harvard University in 1942.[3] Several modified versions of the original Harvard step test exist; examples include the Tecumseh step test and the Kasch step test.[5] Another modified version, the Sharkey step test, was developed in the 1970s for use by the United States Forest Service at the University of Montana in Missoula.
See also
edit- Multi-stage fitness
- Cardiology
- Cardiology diagnostic tests and procedures
- Electrocardiogram
- Physical fitness
- Work Capacity Test
References
edit- ^ Brouha, Lucien; Heath, Clark W.; Graybiel, Ashton (1943). "The step test: a simple method of measuring physical fitness for hard muscular work in adult men". Revue Canadienne de Biologie. 2 (1): 86–91. ISSN 0035-0915.
- ^ a b Brouha, Lucien (1943). "The Step Test: A Simple Method of Measuring Physical Fitness for Muscular Work in Young Men". Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. 14 (1): 31–37. doi:10.1080/10671188.1943.10621204. ISSN 1067-1188.
- ^ a b c d Vangrunderbeek, Hans; Delheye, Pascal (1 June 2013). "Stepping from Belgium to the United States and back: the conceptualization and impact of the Harvard Step Test, 1942–2012". Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 84 (2): 186–197. doi:10.1080/02701367.2013.784724. ISSN 0270-1367. PMID 23930544. S2CID 42411927.
- ^ Wood, Robert (2008). "Harvard Step Test". Topend Sports Website. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ Kasch, Fred; Phillips, WH; Ross, WD; Carter, JE (May–June 1965). "A Step Test for Inducing Maximal Work". J Assoc Phys Ment Rehabil. 19: 84–86. PMID 14330411.