The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire; does it predict physical health?

Samantha L Logan,Dan Meegan,Benjamin H Gottlieb,Scott B Maitland,Lawrence L Spriet

doi:10.3390/ijerph10093967

Abstract

A lack of physical activity is common in older adults. With the increasing Canadian senior population, identifying the minimum amount of physical activity required to maintain the health of older adults is essential. This study determined whether relationships existed between the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire scores and health-related measurements in community-dwelling older adults who were meal delivery volunteers. Based on observed relationships between PASE scores and health parameters, the study attempted to predict an optimal PASE score that would ensure health parameters fell in desired ranges for older adults. 297 community-dwelling older adults (61.3% female) 60–88 years (72.1 ± 6.5) completed the PASE and were measured for body composition, cardiovascular and blood parameters, flexibility, and handgrip strength. Significant regression models using PASE were produced for the health-related measures, but the relationships were not meaningful due to low predictive capacity. However, correlational data suggested that a minimum PASE score of ~140 for males and ~120 for females predicted a favorable waist circumference. In conclusion, findings demonstrated that PASE scores cannot be used to predict healthy physical measures, although the relationships between PASE and WC could be used to encourage older adults to become more physically active.

Highlights

A lack of physical activity is common in older adult populations residing in industrialized countries [1,2,3,4]
We examined the relationship between Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) scores and fat mass (FM) to determine the level of physical activity (PASE score) that corresponded with a healthy FM
The mean BMI for males and females was in the overweight category, but the mean WC was in the healthy range for males and females

Summary

Introduction

A lack of physical activity is common in older adult populations residing in industrialized countries [1,2,3,4]. The World Health Organization estimated that physical inactivity causes two million premature deaths each year [4]. Whereas most of this information has been obtained from younger populations, some studies have indicated that this problem continues into older populations [9,10]. The reduction of muscle mass and strength to levels below proposed thresholds results in limitations in physical functioning and mobility, and reduces the opportunity for independent living in later life. Research has demonstrated that systemic physical activity in older adults, regardless of chronic disease, is related to delayed physical disability and the maintenance of independent living [11]

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