The purposes of the present study were to: 1) develop original equations to predict maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) in African-American adolescent girls; and 2) determine the validity of existing MVV prediction equations for use in African-American subjects by comparing predicted MVV values in the literature with actual MVV values obtained in this study. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and 12 second MVV were measured with a clinical respirometer (Spirometrics model 2451) in 93 African-American adolescent girls (13.5 +/- 1.0 years). Age (r = 0.29), height (r = 0.38), FEV1 (r = 0.52), and FVC (r = 0.48) were significantly (P < 0.01) correlated with MVV. Multiple regression analysis was used to develop equations to predict MVV with age, height, and FEV1 as predictor variables. Using Mallow's Cp criterion, age-FEV1 and FEV1 equations appeared to be the most accurate predictors of MVV. When MVV was regressed on FEV1 in a non-intercept model, the result was the commonly cited equation MVV = 35.0 x FEV1. Thus, the previously established relationship between FEV1 and MVV can be extended to African-American adolescent girls. Comparison of predicted MVV values calculated from other published equations with our subjects' actual values indicated that equations using age and/or height as predictors did not accurately predict MVV in our subjects.