Some universities in the world conduct physical fitness tests to students during their freshmen year. One of these tests determines aerobic capacity, a component of physical fitness related to health and cardiovascular risk reduction. The purpose of the study was to determine the aerobic capacity of freshmen students at the University of Veracruz, in Mexico. Participants were 1004 students of both genders, who completed the Cooper’s test. It was found that 63.0% of the participants were at low levels of aerobic capacity; 25.6%, at medium levels; and 11.4%, at good levels. In conclusion, freshmen students showed low aerobic capacity, which will impact their physical performance if they participate in sports activities. In addition, this inadequate condition is found in men and women; thus, it is necessary to implement physical exercise strategies that impact prevention and physical health care, helping to reduce the risk of illness and the money spent on health services by the university student community.

Objective. To determine the association between perceived exertion (RPE) and physiological variables and to determine thepredictive factors of RPE during submaximal and maximal exertion in older adults. Method. Older adults from Kansas (n = 100)and Costa Rica (n = 79) performed a submaximal and maximal stress test. RPE, education level and a total score of cognitivefunction (CFTS) were collected. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were computed using RPE as the criterion variableand oxygen consumption (VO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), CFTS and education level as predictors. Results. ere was asignicant correlation between VEP and RER (r = 0.22, p = 0.029) at maximal exertion. e RPE predictors for women wereVO2, RER, and CFTS at different stages of the test. For men, VEP was predicted by RER, education level, and VO2 at differentstages. Conclusion. Metabolic and physiological variables predicted RPE in older adults. Age, cognition, and heart rate wereunrelated to RPE at maximal exertion, and RER predicted RPE scores during submaximal and maximal exertion.

The purpose of this research is to describe and analyze the sleep patterns of male and female university athletes practicing soccer, basketball, volleyball, athletics, swimming, and taekwondo. A total of 114 athletes (56 men, 58 women) participated, who used a wGT3X-BT accelerometer during 7 days while sleeping. All measurements were taken at the beginning of the athletes' preparation period. Interactions between gender and sport were found for sleep efficiency (p = 0.006), time in awakening (p = 0.016), time in bed (p = 0.048) and sleep time (p = 0.006). The latency, as well as the number and duration of awakenings, did not differ between gender and sport. Regardless of the sport, men showed a greater number (p = 0.046) and duration (p = 0.002) of awakenings than women. Sleep efficiency and sleep duration values were lower than desired. It is recommended to monitor the sleep patterns of university athletes, since academic obligations could affect their sleep habits.