Poor Physical Activity in the Elderly as Assessed by a Visual Analogue Scale is Associated with Dyslipidemia

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between a subjective measure of physical activity assessed by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and dyslipidemia in an elderly population of Iran. A total of 74 elderly subjects (39 males) aged 65 years and older who referred to the Cardiovascular Department of the Hospital were studied. Physical activity was assessed on a 100 mm VAS according to which patients were then divided in to two groups active (activity score > or = 50; n = 31) and inactive (activity score < 50; n = 43). Body Mass Index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, total cholesterol, Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) and High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL) were measured by standard methods. TG (p = 0.021) and LDL (p = 0.006) were significantly higher and HDL was significantly lower (p = 0.028) in the inactive group. No significant associations were found for other variables. As the first report from Iran, present results are important given the race differences that exist in response of plasma lipids to exercise training. Limitations of the present study include its cross-sectional, rather than prospective, structure and the relatively small sample size. It remains to be seen whether VAS can be used as a rapid screening tool for the presence of dyslipidemia in the elderly.

Self-efficacy regarding physical activity is superior to self-assessed activity level, in long-term prediction of cardiovascular events in middle-aged men

“…There are some limitations to the present study that need to be addressed. VAS provides a subjective rather than objective measure of the clinical phenomenon and is thus subject to potentially higher error rates [ 25 ]. Further, the MSE question used for assessing self-efficacy cannot distinguish if a subject has different self-efficacy for different activities (e.g.…”

“…Scores ≥ 50 mm were defined as poor physical self-efficacy. This cut-off was chosen based on a previous study that used a VAS to evaluate the association between subjective measures of physical activity and dyslipidaemia; subjects who assessed their daily activity as active (in this case ≥50 mm) had lower LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increased HDL-cholesterol compared with the inactive group [ 25 ]. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used as a relative measure of test efficiency for events.…”