Physical Activity Readiness Research Articles

Assessing the Physical Activity Readiness of Inactive Older Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between inactive older adults’ physical activity readiness (based on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire [PARQ]) and several biometric, demographic, and physical activity indices. Participants were 181 (91 female, 90 male) inactive 60- to 89-year-old adults (M age = 70.2 ± 6.6 yr.). Self-report measures were completed and body mass index (BMI) and VO2max were estimated. BMI, weight, and VO2max were significantly associated with physical activity readiness. There was no significant association among 10-year age cohort and physical activity readiness. The blood pressure question excluded the largest number of participants (42%). Overall, 45.3% of the participants appeared to be healthy enough to begin a low to moderate physical activity program. Preliminary evidence suggests the PARQ may be a useful method of identifying older adults for whom low to moderate physical activity participation is safe.

Prevalence of stages of change for physical activity in rural, suburban and inner-city communities.

This study documented the differing prevalence rates for stages of change for physical activity across rural, suburban and inner city communities using survey methods and controlling for education, gender and disease status. Respondents (n = 4768) were participants in the baseline survey for the evaluation of the Québec Heart Health Demonstration Project, a health promotion program implemented in various communities throughout the province of Québec. A total of 2639 female and 2087 male parents answered a questionnaire they received from their grade 4 to grade 6 children. The questionnaire dealt with demographic information, health-related behaviors, and intentions for these behaviors. The response rates were 90%, 77% and 70% in the rural, suburban and inner city communities respectively. Results showed that prevalence rates differed significantly between communities with rural communities having the highest rates of readiness for physical activity in comparison to suburban and inner city communities. These findings suggest that above and beyond individual difference variables, structural components such as type of community are related to people's readiness for physical activity involvement.

Evaluation of the Revised Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire in older adults

Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ) clearance has been recommended prior to low-to-moderate exercise involvement. The measure, however, appears to exclude a high proportion of older adults due to false positive responses. To improve this situation, a revised PARQ was developed (rPARQ). The purpose of this study was to compare the number exclusions resulting from the PARQ and rPARQ in 60- to 69-yr-old adults. Participants were recruited from Community Nutrition Centers (97 males, 96 females; mean age = 64.82 yr, SD +/- 2.85). At random, half completed the PARQ or rPARQ on day 1 and the respective opposite instrument on day 2. There was a significant decrease in the number of exclusions resulting from the PARQ as compared to the rPARQ (146 to 128, P < 0.001). Percentage of agreement regarding exclusion/inclusion status between the two measures was 87.6% (kappa = 0.71). Responses for the six matched questions were significantly (P < 0.0001) related with contingency and phi coefficients ranging from 0.40 to 0.58 and 0.43 to 0.71, respectively. These results support the concurrent validity of the rPARQ and suggest the revisions have had their intended effect.

Screening Efficiency of the Revised Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire in Older Adults

The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ) offers a safe preexercise screening of participants prior to physical activity involvement. However, the measure seems to screen out a relatively high proportion of apparently healthy older adults. In an attempt to improve this situation, an expert panel convened by Fitness Canada worked to revise the measure (rPARQ). The present study compares the number of exclusions resulting from the original and revised PARQ instruments in older adults (84 men, 85 women; M age 76.5 yrs). The number of participants screened out by the rPARQ decreased significantly (p &lt; .001), from 139 to 105. Agreement between measures was achieved in 78.7% of the participants (Cohen's kappa = .50). In an effort to promote physical activity involvement, researchers and practitioners are encouraged to consider the use of the recently developed rPARQ over the PARQ as a preexercise screening alternative.

Understanding readiness for regular physical activity in older individuals: an application of the theory of planned behavior.

This study examined whether stage of readiness for regular physical activity (i.e., discrete phases from inactive to active) was related to beliefs concerning perceived social pressure, attitude, perceived control, and intention. Data were collected from 288 older people through the mail. Frequency data indicated that over 50% of the sample had been engaging in regular physical activity for longer than 6 months. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that all selected variables shared significant variance with stage of readiness, and discrimination among the stages by the selected variables was successful. Path analysis indicated that intention, attitude, and perceived control had direct relationships with stage of readiness. Discussion focused on the utility of these variables for understanding individual differences in stage of readiness for regular physical activity.

Understanding readiness for regular physical activity in older individuals: An application of the theory of planned behavior.

Understanding readiness for regular physical activity in older individuals: An application of the theory of planned behavior.

A New Tool for Encouraging Activity

In brief Promoting physical activity among patients is an essential role for physicians. Project PACE (Physician-based Assessment and Counseling for Exercise) is a practical system of matching physician counseling with patient readiness for physical activity. The PACE counseling approach will help physicians attain national goals for health promotion for the year 2000.

Mechanisms in Multiple Risk Factor Interventions: Smoking, Physical-Activity, and Dietary-Fat Intake Among Manufacturing Workers

Background. Individuals who have multiple poor health behaviors account for a disproportionately large percentage of the preventable U.S. health care cost burden. Understanding the relationships between multiple risk factors is important for the design of both individual and public health interventions. There have been few efforts to examine the cooccurrence of psychosocial and motivational mechanisms that mediate smoking, dietary fat intake, and physical activity in a defined population of blue collar workers. Methods. The sample comprised 1,559 manufacturing workers who participated in a self-help physical activity intervention and who completed a computerized assessment battery about their smoking, dietary fat intake, physical activity, and demographic characteristics. Results. Twenty-six percent of the sample were smokers, 51% did not exercise regularly, and 35% consumed more than an estimated 40% of calories per day from fat. Almost half of the sample was in the later stages of readiness for physical activity and dietary fat intake, compared with only 3% for smoking. Only 12% of the smokers had smoking as their only risk factor. Smokers were significantly more likely to engage in poor dietary and physical activity behaviors, compared with nonsmokers. The relationship among smoking status and the other risk factors was apparent both in terms of dietary fat and physical activity behaviors, as well as mediators such as motivation for change. Lower dietary fat intake was associated with an absence of the other two risk factors. Conclusions. The results suggest that there are important mediating mechanisms both within and among workers with one or more risk factors. Smokers are a particularly important target for health promotion interventions, and it may be possible to make initial contact with them through other health programs at the worksite. The role of other lifestyle changes as a gateway to smoking cessation has not yet been explored, but may have potential for reaching smokers who are very low in their motivational readiness to change. The implications of these findings for research and the design of multiple risk factor interventions are discussed.

PAR-Q, Canadian Home Fitness Test and exercise screening alternatives.

Procedures for the preliminary screening of asymptomatic adults who wish to exercise are reviewed with particular reference to experience gained through the mass use of the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) and the Canadian Home Fitness Test (CHFT). It is argued that both a brief submaximal exercise test and a subsequent moderate increase of habitual activity are extremely safe tactics to recommend to a symptom-free adult. There are some useful minor modifications which could be made to the PAR-Q instrument, but its sensitivity and specificity relative to such criteria as medical examination, hypertension, CHFT completion and exercise-induced ECG abnormalities compare favourably with alternative self-administered procedures. The basic difficulty of screening an asymptomatic population (highlighted by Bayes theorem) is the high percentage of false positive and false negative test results. One remedy would be to stratify the population in terms of known cardiac risk factors and to restrict detailed pre-exercise screening to the high risk segment of the population.

On the preliminary screening of elderly exercise volunteers

ABSTRACTAs part of the pre-screening for an exercise stress test and possible entry into a subsequent exercise training programme, 74 members of the University community aged 45–75 were given a full clinical examination. They subsequently responded to the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) and the Physical Activity Readiness (PAR-Q) questionnaires. The exercise stress test was judged as contraindicated in 9 of the 74 subjects on the basis of the clinical examination. Possible uses of the CMI were rated against this criterion. Failure to complete the CMI and/or 2 or more positive responses to section C yielded a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 86.1%. Excluding subjects with more than 40 responses to section A-M substantially reduced sensitivity (55.5%), with only a small gain of specificity (90.7%). The PAR-Q had a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 92.5%. It was considered clinically advisable to halt the exercise test in 11 of the 65 subjects who had been initially cleared. Summing medical rejections and aborted tests, the basic use of the CMI showed a sensitivity of 50.0% and a specificity of 90.7%. Excluding subjects with a high response rate, sensitivity was 35.0% and specificity 92.6%. Corresponding figures for the PAR-Q procedure were 55.0% and 83.3%. It is suggested that (i) future exercise screening should combine the basic PAR-Q questions with a more specific and up-dated version of the CMI, and (ii) complaints should not be ignored because of a high overall response rate.