Abstract
Purposes (i) To investigate the influence of concurrent changes in age, maturity status, stature, body mass, and skinfold thicknesses on the development of peak ventilatory variables in 10–17-year-olds; and, (ii) to evaluate the interpretation of paediatric norm tables of peak ventilatory variables. Methods Multiplicative multilevel modelling which allows both the number of observations per individual and the temporal spacing of the observations to vary was used to analyze the expired ventilation (peak $${\dot{\mathrm{V}}}_{\mathrm{E}}$$ V ˙ E ) and tidal volume (peak V T ) at peak oxygen uptake of 420 (217 boys) 10–17-year-olds. Models were founded on 1053 (550 from boys) determinations of peak ventilatory variables supported by anthropometric measures and maturity status. Results In sex-specific, multiplicative allometric models, concurrent changes in body mass and skinfold thicknesses (as a surrogate of FFM) and age were significant ( p < 0.05) explanatory variables of the development of peak $${\dot{\mathrm{V}}}_{\mathrm{E}}$$ V ˙ E , once these covariates had been controlled for stature had no additional, significant ( p > 0.05) effect on peak $${\dot{\mathrm{V}}}_{\mathrm{E}}$$ V ˙ E . Concurrent changes in age, stature, body mass, and skinfold thicknesses were significant ( p < 0.05) explanatory variables of the development of peak V T . Maturity status had no additional, significant ( p > 0.05) effect on either peak $${\dot{\mathrm{V}}}_{\mathrm{E}}$$ V ˙ E or peak V T once age and morphological covariates had been controlled for. Conclusions Elucidation of the sex-specific development of peak $${\dot{\mathrm{V}}}_{\mathrm{E}}$$ V ˙ E requires studies which address concurrent changes in body mass, skinfold thicknesses, and age. Stature is an additional explanatory variable in the development of peak V T , in both sexes. Paediatric norms based solely on age or stature or body mass are untenable.