Diagnostic accuracy of pre-exercise screening questionnaire: Emphasis on educational level and cognitive status

Modeling of the Rating of Perceived Exertion Based on Heart Rate Using Machine Learning Methods

Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) can serve as a more convenient and economical alternative to heart rate (HR) for exercise intensity control. This study aims to explore the influence of factors, such as indicators of demographic, anthropometric, body composition, cardiovascular function and basic exercise ability on the relationship between HR and RPE, and to develop the model predicting RPE from HR. 48 healthy participants were recruited to perform an incrementally 6-stage pedaling test. HR and RPE were collected during each stage. The influencing factors were identified with the forward selection method to train Gaussian Process regression (GPR), support vector machine (SVM) and linear regression models. Metrics of R2, adjusted R2 and RMSE were calculated to evaluate the performance of the models. The GPR model outperformed the SVM and linear regression models, and achieved an R2 of 0.95, adjusted R2 of 0.89 and RMSE of 0.52. Indicators of age, resting heart rate (RHR), Central arterial pressure (CAP), body fat rate (BFR) and body mass index (BMI) were identified as factors that best predicted the relationship between RPE and HR. It is possible to use GPR model to estimate RPE from HR accurately, after adjusting for age, RHR, CAP, BFR and BMI.

[Risk and physical activity level in adults in a healthy lifestyle program in Popayán]

OBJECTIVE

To characterize risk and physical activity level of the participants in a program of healthy habits and lifestyles in the city of Popayán during the first semester of 2015.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study on the adult population participating in a health promotion program developed by the Cauca Governor's Office with 500 users. Information was collected through the IPAQ questionnaire and risk for physical exercise was classified using the PAR-Q questionnaire.

RESULTS

The results show a prevalence of 18.3 % for moderate and vigorous physical activity. The population group with the highest percentage of physical activity was found in young adults (aged 18-35 years), while 64 % of the population are at high risk regarding practicing physical exercise.

CONCLUSIONS

The results obtained show that most of the population is at high risk regarding physical activity and also confirm low levels of moderate and vigorous physical activity. However, they also show signs of the importance of making evaluations prior to developing physical activity programs, such as security measures and control and monitoring of health status of the users.

Injuries and illnesses in the preparticipation evaluation data of 1693 college student-athletes

BACKGROUND

While the preparticipation evaluation (PPE) is widely used by medical practitioners, its overall effectiveness is unknown, in part because there are no standardized or centralized mechanisms to collect and analyze medical history information.

PURPOSE

To report on the injuries and illnesses identified with the use of an electronic PPE (ePPE) completed by first-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 varsity sport participants (N = 1693; 797 women, 896 men) upon entry to a single institution between 2010 and 2013.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

RESULTS

In total, 3126 discrete past injuries were reported (women, 1473 injuries; men, 1653 injuries). Time loss from sport participation averaged 31.4 days for each injury (women, 32.2 days; men, 30.7 days), and aggregate time loss from sport for all student-athletes before the ePPE was 256 years. Eleven percent of student-athletes had injuries that were unresolved and still symptomatic at the time of the ePPE. Thirty percent of injured student-athletes had a history of ≥1 surgeries for an injury (women, 176; men, 213), and these accounted for 57% of the time lost from sport before college participation. Head injuries accounted for 9% (110 women, 173 men), and loss of consciousness was reported in 19% of these. One in 3 student-athletes answered "yes" to ≥1 of the American Heart Association questions on cardiovascular health. While 15% of women reported a history of stress fracture, only 3% reported a diagnosed eating disorder.

CONCLUSION

While some data in this population are self-evident, we were not aware of the high frequency of past injuries, the magnitude of time lost from sport, the high frequency of past surgery, and the number of participants still symptomatic from injuries. The ePPE is a valuable tool for collecting and analyzing aggregate injury and illness data in athletes, such as the finding that 11% of injuries that were reported were unresolved and still symptomatic.