Physical Activity Patterns And Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Men With Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

PURPOSE: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is generally regarded as an objective and reproducible measure of recent habitual physical activity (PA). Considering that the majority of daily PA is performed at light intensity, it is likely that CRF benefits will be detected at submaximal rather than maximal exercise. The purpose of this study was to evaluate daily minutes of light (LIPA), moderate (MIPA) and vigorous (VIPA) intensity physical activity among men with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and to determine the relation between PA and submaximal (oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES)) and maximal (V[Combining Dot Above]O2 peak) indices of CRF. METHODS: A total 32 male participants (mean (± SD): age of 60.0 ± 8.7 yr, V[Combining Dot Above]O2 peak, 2.0 ± 0.45 L/min and 23.3 ± 5.7 mL/kg/min) were recruited during an induction to a community based exercise referral program following completion of phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. Participants underwent a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer with breath by breath open circuit spirometry after which they wore a wrist worn accelerometer (Actigraph) for 7 d. Absolute and relative submaximal OUES were calculated by plotting V[Combining Dot Above]O2 in mL/min on the x axis, and the log transformed VE on the y axis (VO2 = a log 10 VE + b). Exercise data up to the ventilatory anaerobic threshold was included in the analysis. RESULTS: Participants performed 589.05 ± 69.41 min of daily LIPA, 161.38 ± 66.16 min of MIPA and no daily min of VIPA. There was no significant relation between peak V[Combining Dot Above]O2 and either LIPA or MIPA. There was a significant correlation between submaximal OUES (r=0.44; p<0.01) and LIPA. The relation between submaximal OUES/kg and LIPA min almost reached statistical significance (r=0.33; p<0.07). There was no significant relation between MIPA and OUES or OUES/kg. CONCLUSIONS: Men with CVD spend the majority (78%) of their day performing LIPA. OUES, a submaximal measure of CRF was related to LIPA whereas no relation was found between V[Combining Dot Above]O2 peak and LIPA.