Sex Input Has No Impact On Metabolic And Pulmonary Outcomes During Self-paced Walking And Running

INTRODUCTION: The ParvoMedics TrueOne 2400 is a widely recognized metabolic analysis system requiring participant sex to be entered according to a binary framework (female-male). This study aimed to determine whether sex input altered metabolic or pulmonary output during self-paced walking and jogging, with the hypothesis that there would be no influence. METHODS: Twenty adult participants (10 females, 10 males) were connected to the TrueOne 2400 and each participant first walked for 5-min and then ran for 5-min under the female (FC) and male conditions (MC). The order in which sex was input into the participant profile was randomly determined. When the first condition was completed, a new participant profile was created for the next sex. A dependent t-test for each dependent variable was utilized to determine if there were differences in metabolic and pulmonary measures between conditions. P-values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. Cohen's d was used to calculate effect sizes, with negligible = 0.0-0.2, small = 0.2-0.49, medium = 0.5-0.79, and large = ≥ 0.8. RESULTS: No within-participant differences between the female (FC) and male conditions (MC) were observed for any metabolic or pulmonary variables during self-paced walking and running. Walking trials returned a mean relative VO2 (mL/kg/min) of FC = 11.13 ± 2.73, and MC = 10.81 ± 2.39 (N = 20, p = 0.08, d = 0.408), and mean energy expenditure (kcal) of FC = 18.28 ± 4.74, and MC = 17.86 ± 4.33 (p = 0.12, d = 0.361). The running trials returned a mean relative VO2 (mL/kg/min) of FC = 28.80 ± 5.89, and MC = 28.82 ± 6.06 (p = 0.90, d = 0.03), with mean energy expenditure (kcal) of FC = 45.79 ± 13.08, and MC = 45.55 ± 12.26 (p = 0.99, r = 0.004). CONCLUSION: The TrueOne 2400 metabolic analysis system presented no significant differences in metabolic and pulmonary variables between the input of sex during each exercise, indicating that the utilization of binary sex input does not affect returned variables. These binary sex options may create a barrier to inclusivity for those who do not identify within that framework. Researchers are encouraged to investigate other software and equipment to facilitate the adoption of more inclusive methods during data collection. Supported by: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Office of Undergraduate Research