Abstract
BackgroundThe Borg scale is used to determine exercise intensity in rehabilitation but can be difficult for older adults to understand. By contrast, face scale that are used to evaluate pain are much easier to understand thanks to the inclusion of illustrations. On the other hand, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increases with age. This study aimed to determine the validity of the face scale for rating perceived exertion (RPE‐face scale) in older adults and patients with AF during cardiopulmonary exercise test. Furthermore, the relationship between face scale and anaerobic threshold (AT) was also investigated.MethodsA total of 90 patients with sinus rhythm (SR) (74 men, 16 women) and 22 with AF were enrolled. Participants’ responses were recorded using the RPE‐face scale and compared with exercise intensity, heart rate, oxygen uptake, and minute ventilation during the exercise test. We determined the AT by the V‐slope method.ResultsCorrelations between RPE‐face scale and physiological parameters were significantly positive for men with SR and women with SR and AF. However, differences in the correlation coefficient between age and SR or AF were not statistically significant. The cutoff value for AT of the RPE‐face scale was “4,” showing high sensitivity and specificity.ConclusionsThe RPE‐face scale can be used to determine the intensity of physical exercise, unaffected by age, gender, SR, or AF.
Highlights
The Borg scale is used to determine exercise intensity in rehabilitation but can be difficult for older adults to understand
The cutoff value for anaerobic threshold (AT) of the Face Scale was “4” and it showed high sensitivity and specificity. These results suggest that the face scale can be used to determine the intensity of physical exercise equivalent to AT unaffected by age, gender, sinus rhythm (SR) or atrial fibrillation (AF)
Studies have shown that total daily physical activity levels are associated with cardiovascular death [1,2,3], with regular exercise known to be effective for the secondary prevention after myocardial infarction [4,5,6,7,8]
Summary
The Borg scale is used to determine exercise intensity in rehabilitation but can be difficult for older adults to understand. We aimed to investigate the correlation between face scale for rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and various physiological parameters during cardiopulmonary exercise testing in older adults and AF patients. The most widely used RPE tool is the Borg scale, which has been shown to correlate with the HR and maximum oxygen uptake [13,14,15]. It is usually reliable, the Borg scale can be difficult for children and older adults to understand [16,17,18]. We adapted a face scale that could be used to evaluate exercise levels [17]
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