Pre-Exercise Assessments

KNR 240Fall 04

Rationale for pre-testing and screening

Nearly 75,000 Americans suffer a MI during or after exercise each year. Most are sedentary men with risk factors beginning a

new exercise program. According to the ACSM,

“the incidence of cardiovascular problems during physical activity is reduced by nearly 50% when individuals are first screened and those identified with risk factors are diverted to other professionally established activity programs.

Physical fitness testing is useful for the following: Identifying adverse S/S or conditions that might

compromise well-being during exercise. Provides an opportunity for individuals to be educated

and motivated to adopt more healthful lifestyles Helps in establishing goals to progress toward.

Key Issues In Chapter 3 Always obtain a medical

history or pre-exercise health risk appraisal on each participant.

Stratify individuals according to their disease risk.

Refer high-risk individuals to a healthcare provider for medical evaluation and a graded exercise test.

Pre-Participation Health Screening All facilities that offer exercise equipment or services

should conduct pre-participation health screening of all new members and/or prospective users, regardless of age.

A comprehensive medical/health questionnaire should include: Medical diagnosis Previous physical exam findings History of symptoms Recent illness, hospitalization, new medical diagnosis or

surgical procedures Orthopedic problems Medication use and drug allergies Lifestyle habits Exercise and work history Family history of disease

Pre-Participation Health Screening The PAR-Q is preferred when testing large

numbers of individuals in a short period of time. Participants are directed to contact their physician if they answer “yes” to one or more questions. (See p. 49)

The ACSM and AHA published a slightly more complex questionnaire in 1988 that asks for history, symptoms and risk factors. (See PFA 3.1, p.71-72).

ACSM & AHA Pre-Participation Screening Questionnaire All individuals interested in participating in

organized exercise programs should be evaluated for heart disease risk factors. See these seven guidelines on p. 48-49 text

and p. 24 ACSM. The ACSM/AHA questionnaire addresses these

guidelines by the questions asked on p. 72. Additionally, the ACSM recommends that

pre-participation questionnaires include a list of S/S for CV/pulmonary disease. (See p. 50 text, Box 2-1, p. 25 ACSM)

ACSM Risk Stratification: Counting Risk Factors 1. Family history (MI, coronary revascularization, or

sudden death before 55 yrs in father or other male first-degree relative, or before 65 yrs in mother or other female first degree relative).

2. Cigarette smoking (current cigarette smoker or those who quit within the previous 6 months).

3. Hypertension (sBP 140 mm Hg or dBP 90 mm Hg, confirmed on at least 2 separate occasions, or on antihypertensive medication).

4. Hypercholesterolemia (serum cholesterol of >200 mg/dl or HDL cholesterol of <35 mg/dl, or on lipid-lowering medication. If LDL cholesterol is available, use >130 mg/dl rather than the total cholesterol of >200 mg/dl). If HDL cholesterol is >60 mg/dl, subtract one risk factor from the sum of positive risk factors (negative risk factor).

ACSM Risk Stratification: Counting Risk Factors (cont)

5. Impaired fasting glucose (fasting blood glucose of 110 mg/dl, confirmed by measurements on at least 2 separate occasions).

6. Obesity (body mass index of 30 kg/m2, or waist girth of >100 cm).

7. Sedentary lifestyle (persons not participating in a regular exercise program or meeting the minimal physical activity recommendations from the U.S. Surgeon General’s report—accumulating 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity on most days of the week).

ACSM: Check for these major signs or symptoms 1. Pain, discomfort (or other anginal equivalent) in

the chest, neck, jaw, arms, or other areas that may be due to ischemia.

2. Shortness of breath at rest or mild exertion. 3. Dizziness or syncope. 4. Orthopnea (discomfort in breathing which is

brought on or aggravated by lying flat) or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (acute difficulty in breathing appearing suddenly at night, usually waking the patient after an hour or two of sleep).

5. Ankle edema.

ACSM: Check for these major signs or symptoms (cont)

6. Palpitations (forcible or irregular pulsation of the heart, perceptible to the individual, usually with an increase in frequency or force, with or without irregularity in rhythm) or tachycardia (rapid beating of the heart, typically over 100 beats per minute at rest).

7. Intermittent claudication (a condition caused by lack of blood flow and oxygen to the leg muscles, characterized by attacks of lameness and pain, brought on by walking).

8. Known heart murmur. 9. Unusual fatigue or shortness of breath with usual

activities.

ACSM & AHA Pre-Participation Screening Questionnaire Once symptom and RF screening have

been conducted, the individual needs to be stratified according to disease risk. This is important for several reasons: To identify those in need of referral to a health-

care provider for more extensive medical evaluation

To ensure safety of exercise testing and participation

To determine the appropriate type of exercise test of program.

ACSM Risk Stratification Levels Low-Risk

Men <45, and women <55 years of age, who are asymptomatic and meet no more than one risk factor threshold.

Moderate-Risk Men >/= 45 and women >/= 55 years of age or those

who meet the threshold for two or more risk factors High-Risk

Individuals with one or more signs or symptoms or with known cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic disease including diabetes mellitus.

ACSM Recommendations for (A) Current Medical Examination* and Exercise Testing Prior to Participation and (B) Physician Supervision of Exercise Tests

Low Risk Moderate Risk

High Risk

A. Moderate Exercise**

Not necessary† Not necessary Recommended

A. Vigorous Exercise † † Not necessary Recommended Recommended

B. Submaximal Test Not necessary Not necessary Recommended

B. Maximal Test Not necessary Recommended‡

Recommended

* Within the past year.

** 3-6 METS; brisk walking; pace that can be sustained for 45 minutes; 40-60% maximal oxygen uptake.

† Not essential, but not viewed as inappropriate.

† † >6 METS; substantial cardiorespiratory challenge; >60% maximal oxygen uptake.

‡ Physician should be in close proximity and readily available.

Medical Exam and Exercise Testing The depth of the medical or physical exam

for any individual depends on disease risk stratification. See Table 3.1, p. 53 text and Table 2-2, p. 27

ACSM. Although most people can safely

participate in some form of exercise, there are some who should not exercise. The risks outweigh the benefits. See Table 3.2, p. 55 text and Box 3-6, p. 50

ACSM.

Pre-Exercise Assessments and Risk Stratification Obtaining and Understanding the medical history is a very

important part of the pretest evaluation! Careful evaluation prior to exercise testing or exercise

participation is important To assure safety To aid in the diagnosis of potential CV disease, To assess heart and lung fitness, To provide a baseline from which to follow progress To develop early rapport with the participant.

IN GENERAL, most individuals, except for those with known serious disease, can begin a moderate exercise program such as walking (40-60% VO2 max) without a medical evaluation or exercise test. WHENEVER IN DOUBT- GET MEDICAL CLEARANCE!

Recommendations for CV screening for competitive athletes given by the AHA are on pages 54 - 56.

Informed Consent Generally, legal claims against exercise professionals are based

on either alleged violations of contract law or tort principles. A legal contract is a promise or performance bargained for and

given in exchange for another. A tort is a wrongful act or damage (not involving a breach of

contract) for which a civil action can be brought. Most tort claims affecting the exercise professional are based on

allegations of either negligence or malpractice, and commonly involve the following:

Failure to monitor an exercise test properly Failure to evaluate physical impairments competently Failure to prescribe a safe exercise intensity or program Failure to provide appropriate supervision Rendition of advice later construed to represent medical diagnosis Failure to refer participants to physician Failure to respond adequately to an untoward event Failure to disclose certain information in the informed-consent

process.

Informed Consent By law, any subject, patient, or client who is exposed to possible physical, psychological,

or social injury must give informed consent prior to participation in a program. Informed consent can be defined as the knowing consent of an individual or that person’s

legally authorized representative, with free power of choice and the absence of undue inducement or any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, or other form on constraint or coercion.

Informed consent should be read and signed by the subject, in the presence of a witness..

Informed Consent should be written so as to be easily understood by all subjects. Should use separate forms for diagnostic testing and for exercise programming. All forms should be approved by legal counsel. All forms should include the following:

A general statement of the background of the program and objectives A fair explanation of the procedures to be followed A description of any and all risks attendant to the procedures A description of the benefits that can reasonably be expected An offer to answer any of the subject’s queries An instruction that the subject, client, or patient is free to withdraw consent and to discontinue participation in the

program at any time without prejudice to the person An explanation of the procedures to be taken to ensure the confidentiality of the information derived from the

participant. Refer to pages 57 and 58 for sample Informed Consent Forms. Box 1.2, p. 11 - ACSM standards for health and fitness facilities. These standards should

be regarded as a benchmark of competency that probably will be used in a court of law to assess performance and service.

Concepts and Purposes in Physical Fitness Testing The purpose of measurement is to determine status. Status

identification is ideally conducted prior to beginning an exercise program.

When conducting physical fitness tests, the following important test criteria should be considered:

Validity- refers to the degree to which the test measures what it was designed to measure; a valid test is one that measures accurately what it is used to measure.

Reliability- deals with how consistently a certain element is measured by the particular test; concerned with the repeatability of the test- if a person is measured two separate times by the same tester or by two different people, the results should be close to the same.

Norms- represent the achievement level of a particular group to which the measured scores can be compared; norms provide a useful basis for interpretation and evaluation of test results.

Economy- refers to ease of administration, the use of inexpensive equipment, the limitation of time needed to administer the test, and the simplicity of the test so that the person taking it can easily understand the purpose and results.

Concepts and Purposes in Physical Fitness Testing Thus, a good physical fitness test accurately

measures what it is supposed to measure, can be consistently used by different people, produces results that can be compared to a data set, and is relatively inexpensive, simple, and easy to administer.

Testing of participants before, during, and after participation is important for several reasons:

To assess current fitness levels (both strengths and weaknesses)

To identify special needs for individualized counseling To evaluate progress To motivate and educate

Recommendations for Fitness-Evaluation Tests The evaluation procedure has a recommended order for both safety and

efficiency. Instructions to be given to the participant prior to their appointment:

Completion of medical/health status questionnaire. Can save time if have client fill out at home prior to coming to the testing site.

Complete and precise instructions should be given Subject should come dressed in proper attire. Avoid eating or drinking for 3 hours prior to the test. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and coffee for at least 3 hours before the test Avoid exercise the day of the test Try to get a good night’s sleep prior to the test Avoid alcohol or vigorous exercise 24 hours prior to blood draws, and a 12 hour

fast is recommended. Diabetics should keep their usual eating and insulin routines Continue meds as usual

The testing session order should proceed as follows: 5-minute rest HR, BP, blood draw Body composition measurements Test for CRE Musculo-skeletal testing

Health-Related Fitness Testing Batteries There are different physical fitness testing

batteries that have been developed by the YMCA, the Canadian Society for exercise physiology, the Cooper institute for Aerobics Research, the AAHPERD, and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

a. Refer to pages 64-66 for these batteries. Each of these batteries are valid, reliable, and

economical, and they have sound norms. The norms for the various tests in these

batteries are in Appendix A. Descriptions of how to conduct each of the tests

are found in chapters 4, 5, and 6.

Physical Fitness Testing Batteries Pre-test guidelines (see page 64) Test session organization (see page 64) Health-related fitness testing batteries

YMCA CPAFLA AAHPERD FITNESSGRAM PCPFS President’s Challenge