Relationship of maximum aerobic power output to productivity and absenteeism of East African sugar cane workers.

maximum aerobic power output to productivity and absenteeism of East African sugar cane workers. The relationship of the physiological responses to laboratory exercise on an upright bicycle ergometer and predicted maximum aerobic power output (VO2max) to daily and season output has been investigated in 78 cane cutters aged 18 to 50 years working on the Kilombero sugar estate, Tanzania. The results showed that the VO2max was independent of absolute productivity in terms of kilotons of cane cut per season but positively correlated (r = + 0 46) with daily output. There was a small but significant (r =-032, P < 0001) negative association of VO2ma.with the number of days that an individual voluntarily absented himself from the cane fields. The importance of these findings to the selection and training of personnel for the cane-cutting industry are discussed. It was suggested that the industry might consider the introduction of a simple exercise (step) test together with a medical examination and simple anthropometric measurements at the time of recruitment of workers at the beginning of the season. It has now been generally accepted that aerobic power output (VO2 max) measured in the laboratory provides a useful and valid guide to an individual's exercise tolerancemons, 1968). Indeed, much time and effort has been spent in various laboratories throughout the world in the study of methods of measurement and the biological significance of VO2 max. From these studies it is clear that the V02 max essentially reflects the ability of the cardiorespiratory system and working muscles to transport and utilize oxygen and thus measures the capacity of the body for sustained work. It is also known that the V02 MM although none of these factors is in dispute, the vital question in the industrial situation as to whether the VO2 max is actually related to work output under realistic everyday conditions remains unanswered. To my knowledge, the only attempt to study this problem has been that of Wyndham, Cooke, Munro, and Maritz (1964) in the gold mining industry in South Africa. They investigated 28 African miners who were daily involved in a heavy task loading rock underground. They found that although they could demonstrate significant differences in productivity and physical working capacity between the men in the group, no correlation existed between maximum aerobic power and physical performance. They concluded that psychological , rather than physiological, factors were the main determinants of productivity in …