How to assess physical activity? How to assess physical fitness?

Abstract

Regular aerobic physical activity (PA) increases exercise capacity and physical fitness (PF), which can lead to many health benefits. Accurate quantification of PA and PF becomes essential in terms of health outcome and effectiveness of intervention programmes. In this manuscript we present a review regarding the assessment of physical activity and fitness. Three types of PA assessment methods can be distinguished: criterion methods, objective methods and subjective methods. Criterion methods like doubly labelled water, indirect calorimetry and direct observation are the most reliable and valid measurements against which all other PA assessments methods should be validated, but they also hold important drawbacks. Objective PA assessment methods include activity monitors (pedometers and accelerometers) and heart rate monitoring. Finally, questionnaires and activity diaries are considered subjective methods. For the assessment of PF, we distinguish field tests and laboratory tests. The Eurofit for Adults is a test battery that is designed to assess health-related fitness of individuals, communities, sub-populations and populations. It is mainly used for evaluating the morphological component, the muscular component, the motor component and the cardio-respiratory component. In the laboratory, exercise capacity is preferentially assessed through maximal incremental exercise testing. Cardio-pulmonary exercise testing is a well-established procedure that provides a wealth of clinically diagnostic and prognostic information. The peak oxygen uptake is the gold standard in the assessment of exercise tolerance. When maximal exercise is contraindicated or not achievable, the VAT or the submaximal slopes provide reasonable alternatives.

Objectifying fitness: A content and thematic analysis of #fitspiration images on social media.

“…Within health sciences, fitness is commonly defined as the body's ability to respond to the demands of physical activity without undue fatigue (Vanhees et al, 2005). Being physically fit is associated with positive health outcomes (Ortega, Ruiz, Castillo, & Sjöström, 2008;Sawada, 2014) and can typically be achieved through the adoption of a balanced diet and regular participation in physical activity (Vanhees et al, 2005).…”

Reliability and clinical correlates of the Astrand–Rhyming sub-maximal exercise test in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

“…Laboratory-based incremental exercise testing protocols, that use breath-by-breath gas analysis and measure the maximum level of oxygen consumption (VO 2 max) are considered the 'gold standard' measurement of aerobic fitness (Vanhees et al, 2005). However, these test protocols are time-consuming, costly and need highly sophisticated equipment (Vanhees et al, 2005), which is often not available or practical in mental health care settings. Moreover, the maximal nature of the test may be influenced by the motivation of participants (Strassnig et al, 2011;Vancampfort et al, 2013b).…”

“…Submaximal exercise tests that use measures of heart rate (HR) to estimate V0 2 max are considered to be a reliable and valid measure of aerobic fitness (Lambrick, Faulkner, Rowlands, Eston, 2009). Importantly, for high-risk populations, submaximal tests are safer, better tolerated and consequently ideal for monitoring levels of aerobic fitness (Vanhees et al, 2005). A further benefit of submaximal testing is that it can allow greater numbers of patients to be longitudinally monitored at minimum costs.…”

Physical activity level in healthy free-living Japanese estimated by doubly labelled water method and International Physical Activity Questionnaire

“…Several indirect methods, for example, activity records, heart rate monitoring and accelerometer methods, have been used for estimating daily energy expenditure (Lamonte and Ainsworth, 2001;Vanhees et al, 2005). The factorial methods and indirect measures, even if done well, provide estimates that are not sound and often inaccurate.…”