Validation Of Exercise Vital Sign (evs) Questions In A Pediatric Population

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine which factors were associated with increased weekly moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) measured by Exercise Vital Sign (EVS) questions. METHODS: Patients presenting to a sports medicine clinic between the ages of 5-18 were asked “On average, how many days per week did you participate in MVPA” and “On average, how many minutes per day did you participate in MVPA”. Weekly physical activity, age, sex, BMI percentile, as well as history of asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression and diabetes were recorded. A linear regression analysis was utilized in those who reported any physical activity to determine which factors were associated with increased MVPA. RESULTS: Data were recorded on 14,440 subjects. Average age was 13.91±2.49 years and average BMI percentile was 65.50±27.74 percent. Females made up 54.1%. Asthma was reported by 2340 (16.2%), ADHD was reported by 818 (5.7%), depression was reported by 308 (2.1%), and diabetes was reported by 92 (.6%). Overall, 45.6% of subjects reported 420 minutes or more of weekly MVPA. Those who reported any physical activity (n=13,708) averaged 424.14±287.45 minutes per week of MVPA. Those with a history of depression had almost 60 minutes/week less MVPA when controlling for age, sex, BMI percentile, asthma, ADHD, and diabetes (p>.001). Females reported 45 minutes less MVPA than males when controlling for age, BMI percentile, asthma, ADHD, depression and diabetes (p>.001). Discussion: Physical activity is an important health determinant in childrens’ current and future health. The majority of youth do not meet current physical activity recommendations. Children suffering from depression should be screened for MVPA to encourage meeting physical activity recommendations. As females continue to obtain significantly less MVPA than males, targeted interventions need to be developed for this population. Regular screenings of MVPA levels should be implemented for children to help identifying and counsel those who are insufficiently active.