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. 2025 Aug 22;15:30906. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-17016-y

Table 2.

Cardiopulmonary exercise test characteristics before PSM.

Characteristic Pre-pandemic During-pandemic Post-pandemic P
n = 2,252 n = 3,878 n = 1,520
Peak VO2, L/min 1.14 (0.31) 1.12 (0.34)* 1.17 (0.35) < 0.001
Peak VO2/kg, ml/min/kg 10.88 (2.01) 10.74 (2.26)* 11.25 (2.41) < 0.001
Peak METs 4.44 (1.08) 4.31 (1.16)* 4.48 (1.15) < 0.001
AT METs 3.43 (0.46) 3.38 (0.53)* 3.38 (0.60)* 0.001
AT VO2/kg, ml/min/kg 10.88 (2.01) 10.74 (2.26)* 11.25 (2.41)*,† < 0.001
AT O2 pulse, ml/min/beat 8.14 (1.71) 7.84 (1.90)* 8.01 (2.04) < 0.001
Peak O2 pulse, ml/min/beat 9.75 (2.32) 9.29 (2.44)* 9.38 (2.56)* < 0.001
Borg score 16.07 (1.42) 16.28 (2.77)* 14.95 (5.31)*,† < 0.001
Weber Grade, No. (%) < 0.001
A 291 (12.92%) 434 (11.19%) 223 (14.67%)§
B 870 (38.63%) 1,450 (37.39%) 607 (39.93%)
C 1,004 (44.58%) 1,667 (42.99%) 600 (39.47%)
D 87 (3.86%) 327 (8.43%) 90 (5.92%)‡,§

Bold value indicates a statistically significant difference.

A p-values of the relationship trends of the three groups of variables are also given in the table.

Symbols denote significant differences from the pre-pandemic group (*P <.05; and P <.0167), during-pandemic group (P <.05 and §P <.0167).

Data are mean ± SD, median (interquartile range), or number (%).

Abbreviations: Peak VO2, peak oxygen uptake; Peak VO2/kg, peak oxygen uptake per kilogram; Peak METs, peak Metabolic Equivalent; AT VO2/kg, oxygen uptake per kilogram at anaerobic threshold; AT O2 pulse, Oxygen pulse at anaerobic threshold; Peak O2 pulse, Peak Oxygen pulse.