Physical Activity as a Vital Sign: A Systematic Review

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Golightly, Yvonne M. ; Allen, Kelli D. ; Ambrose, Kirsten R. ; Stiller, Jamie L. ; Evenson, Kelly R. ; Voisin, Christiane ; Hootman, Jennifer M. ; Callahan, Leigh F.
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  Physical activity (PA) is strongly endorsed for managing chronic conditions, and a vital sign tool (indicator of general physical condition) could alert providers of inadequate PA to prompt counseling or referral. This systematic review examined the use, definitions, psychometric properties, and outcomes of brief PA instruments as vital sign measures, with attention primarily to studies focused on arthritis.
  
  Methods
  
  Electronic databases were searched for English-language literature from 1985 through 2016 using the terms PA, exercise, vital sign, exercise referral scheme, and exercise counseling. Of the 838 articles identified for title and abstract review, 9 articles qualified for full text review and data extraction.
  
  Results
  
  Five brief PA measures were identified: Exercise Vital Sign (EVS), Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS), Speedy Nutrition and Physical Activity Assessment (SNAP), General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPPAQ), and Stanford Brief Activity Survey (SBAS). Studies focusing on arthritis were not found. Over 1.5 years of using EVS in a large hospital system, improvements occurred in relative weight loss among overweight patients and reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin among diabetic patients. On PAVS, moderate physical activity of 5 or more days per week versus fewer than 5 days per week was associated with a lower body mass index (−2.90 kg/m2). Compared with accelerometer-defined physical activity, EVS was weakly correlated (r = 0.27), had low sensitivity (27%–59%), and high specificity (74%–89%); SNAP showed weak agreement (κ = 0.12); GPPAQ had moderate sensitivity (46%) and specificity (50%), and SBAS was weakly correlated (r = 0.10–0.28), had poor to moderate sensitivity (18%–67%), and had moderate specificity (58%–79%).
  
  Conclusion
  
  Few studies have examined a brief physical activity tool as a vital sign measure. Initial investigations suggest the promise of these simple and quick assessment tools, and research is needed to test the effects of their use on chronic disease outcomes.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Exercise Health Behavior Humans Vital Signs
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 14.
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd14.170030
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Pubmed ID:
  29191260
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5716811
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Volume:
  14
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bed82c58efa617aec6eb1c0681e5b210d34e8e9fc37563ee2ad486adba9604569499079fa78fe3767a26927c3faeca43eb14175c52a9bbc7e097710a6ddf1732
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/50280/cdc_50280_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 387.96 KB ]