Abstract
BackgroundRegular physical activity and exercise provide many health benefits. These health benefits are mediated in large part through cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength. As most individuals have not had an assessment of their personal cardiorespiratory fitness or muscular strength we investigated if measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength would influence an individual’s subsequent self-reported exercise and physical activity.MethodsVolunteer subjects at a State Fair were randomized in 1:1 parallel fashion to control and intervention groups. The baseline Exercise Vital Sign (EVS) and type of physical activity were obtained from all subjects. The intervention group received estimated maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) using a step test and muscular strength using a hand grip dynamometer along with age-specific norms for both measurements. All subjects were provided exercise recommendations. Follow up surveys were conducted at 3, 6 and 12 months regarding their EVS and physical activity.ResultsOne thousand three hundred fifteen individuals (656 intervention, 659 control) were randomized with 1 year follow up data obtained from 823 subjects (62.5%). Baseline mean EVS was 213 min/week. No change in EVS was found in either group at follow-up (p = 0.99). Subjects who were less active at baseline (EVS < 150) did show an increase in EVS (86 to 146) at 6 months (p < 0.05). At 3 months the intervention group increased resistance training (29.1 to 42.8%) compared to controls (26.3 to 31.4%) (p < 0.05). Lifestyle physical activity increased in the intervention group at 3 months (27.7 to 29.1%) and 6 months (25%) whereas it declined in the control group at 3 months (24.4 to 20.1%) and 6 months (18.7%) (p < 0.05).ConclusionProviding VO2max estimates and grip strength did not produce an increase in overall physical activity. The EVS and exercise recommendations did however produce an increase in physical activity in less active individuals. In a very active population the VO2max estimate and measured grip strength did increase lifestyle activity and resistance training. Wider adoption of these measures could be effective in promoting physical activity and resistance training.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov NCT03518931 Registered 05/08/2018 -retrospectively registered.
Highlights
Regular physical activity and exercise provide many health benefits
This study indicates that recording Exercise Vital Sign (EVS), providing exercise recommendations and estimating cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness (MF) could provide both a useful incentive to stimulate greater interest in exercise, lifestyle physical activity and resistance training
We found that the intervention group significantly increased their reported resistance training and lifestyle physical activity relative to controls at 3-months followup, despite the much less favorable climate for these activities during winter
Summary
Regular physical activity and exercise provide many health benefits. These health benefits are mediated in large part through cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength. Physical activity and regular exercise are important components of a healthy lifestyle. The benefits of physical activity and exercise include lower all-cause mortality [1, 2], reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) [3], improved blood pressure [4], lower triglycerides, increased High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol [5], less depression [6], less anxiety [7], improved cognitive function [8], and improved glycemic control in both type 1 [9] and type 2 diabetics [10]. A self-paced step test has been validated in a primary care setting as a safe and simple method of approximating VO2max and CRF [17]
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