Consumo máximo de oxígeno y síntomas depresivos en estudiantes de una universidad peruana en 2025

Introduction: Depressive symptoms (DS) can significantly affect quality of life. An adequate level of maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) may help re-duce their intensity. Objective: To determine the association between VO₂ max and DS in students from a Peruvian university in 2025. Methodology: This was a correlational study. The sample consisted of 142 university students—91 men and 51 women—aged 18 to 48 years. The Beck Depression Inventory II and the Course Navette test were used to assess the presence of DS and to estimate VO₂ max, respectively. Results: A significant in-verse association was found between VO₂ max and depressive symptoms (rho = –.313**, p = .003). Significant inverse associations were also found be-tween VO₂ max and affective DS (rho = –.256*, p = .016), and between VO₂ max and somatic DS (rho = –.381**, p = .000). No significant association was found between VO₂ max and cognitive DS (rho = –.171, p = .109). Discussion: The results revealed similarities with national and international studies, particularly the higher prevalence of DS in women and the inverse associations between VO₂ max and DS. Conclusions: There is a significant inverse relationship between DS and VO₂ max in students of the Faculty of Education at a Peruvian university in 2025.