ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING TRAINING
IMPROVEMENTS
Forty five hospital training sessions were
available to each subject in the training group.
The mean number of training sessions undertaken
by each patient was 36 (range 19-42)-22
(range 8-42) hospital sessions and 14 (range 0-
36) sessions at home. The effects of motivation,
initial level of fitness, training attendance, and
asthma severity and variability on the change in
Vo2 max within the training group were
analysed by multiple regression analysis. From
this analysis the best model predicting training
improvement (that is, percentage change in
Vo2max) is described in the equation:
0° change in Vo2 max = 46-9 - 1-OlSYMP +
6-23MOT - 0-56INFIT (r2 0-80, SEE 6-66),
where SYMP is the symptom score on the
training day, MOT iS subject motivation, and
INFIT iS the initial level of fitness expressed as
prestudy Vo2 max (% pred max).