Nicholas F. Boer

Children's OMNI scale of perceived exertion: mixed gender and race validation.

PURPOSE The newly developed Childrens OMNI Scale of Perceived Exertion (category range: 0 to 10) was validated using separate cohorts of female and male, African American and white subjects. Each of the four cohorts contained 20 clinically normal, nonobese children, 8-12 yr of age. METHODS A cross-sectional, perceptual estimation paradigm using a single multi-stage cycle ergometer test protocol was used. Oxygen uptake (VO2; mL x min(-1)), heart rate (HR; beats x min(-1)) and ratings of perceived exertion for the overall body (RPE-Overall), legs (RPE-Legs), and chest (RPE-Chest) were determined at the end of each continuously administered 3-min power output (PO) (i.e., 25, 50, 75, and 100 W) test stage. RESULTS The range of responses over the four POs for all cohorts was VO2: 290.8 to 1204.0 mL x min(-1); HR: 89.2 to 164.4 beats x min(-1); and RPE-Overall, RPE-Legs, and RPE-Chest: 0.85 to 9.1. First-order correlation and linear regression analyses were performed for each cohort separately and the total sample using a repeated measures paradigm over the four POs. For all correlation/regression paradigms RPE-Overall, RPE-Legs, and RPE-Chest distributed as a positive linear function of both VO2 and HR; r = 0.85 to 0.94; P < 0.01. Differences between RPE-Overall, RPE-Legs, and RPE-Chest were examined with ANOVA for the repeated measures paradigm. RPE-Legs was higher (P < 0.01) than RPE-Chest and RPE-Overall at 25, 50, 75, and 100 W. RPE-Chest did not differ from RPE-Overall at 25 and 50 W but was lower (P < 0.01) than RPE-Overall at 75 and 100 W. CONCLUSION The psycho-physiological responses provide validity evidence for use of the Childrens OMNI Scale over a wide range of dynamic exercise intensities.

OMNI scale perceived exertion at ventilatory breakpoint in children: response normalized.

PURPOSE The Childrens OMNI Scale of Perceived Exertion was used to identify a response normalized rating of perceived exertion (RPE)-Overall, RPE-Legs, and RPE-Chest that corresponds to the ventilatory breakpoint (Vpt) in 8- to 12-yr-old female and male children. METHODS Subjects were a priori stratified into two fitness groups on the basis of peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak): average (A) (41.0-49.0 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1); N = 24) and above average (AA) (50.0-58.0 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1); N = 24). Vpt was determined by a progressive cycle ergometer protocol to VO2 peak. RESULTS A gender effect was not observed for any descriptive or dependent variable. Mean VO2peak for the A group was 1.72 L x min(-1) and for the AA group 2.04 L x min(-1). Vpt corresponded to 64.0% VO2 peak for A and 74.0% VO2peak for AA. RPE-Overall (mean A and AA, 6.1), RPE-Legs (mean A and AA, 7.2), and RPE-Chest (mean A and AA, 4.5) did not differ between the fitness groups. CONCLUSION Findings indicated that undifferentiated and differentiated RPE-Vpt were similar between female and male children who varied in VO2peak and Vpt. A comparatively stable RPE-Vpt for 8- to 12-yr-old children that vary in VO2peak and Vpt indicates a group normalized perceptual response.

A comparison of practical assessment methods to determine treadmill, cycle, and elliptical ergometer VO2 peak.

Mays, RJ, Boér, NF, Mealey, LM, Kim, KH, and Goss, FL. A comparison of practical assessment methods to determine treadmill, cycle, and elliptical ergometer &OV0312;O2peak. J Strength Cond Res 24(5): 1325-1331, 2010-This investigation compared estimated and predicted peak oxygen consumption (&OV0312;O2peak) and maximal heart rate (HRmax) among the treadmill, cycle ergometer, and elliptical ergometer. Seventeen women (mean ± SE: 21.9 ± 0.3 y) exercised to exhaustion on all modalities. American College of Sports Medicine metabolic equations were used to estimate &OV0312;O2peak. Digital displays on the elliptical ergometer were used to estimate &OV0312;O2peak. Two individual linear regression methods were used to predict &OV0312;O2peak: (a) 2 steady state heart rate (HR) responses up to 85% of age-predicted HRmax and (b) multiple steady state/nonsteady state HR responses up to 85% of age-predicted HRmax. Estimated &OV0312;O2peak for the treadmill (46.3 ± 1.3 ml·kg−1·min−1) and the elliptical ergometer (44.4 ± 1.0 ml·kg−1·min−1) did not differ. The cycle ergometer estimated &OV0312;O2peak (36.5 ± 1.0 ml·kg−1·min−1) was lower (p < 0.001) than the estimated &OV0312;O2peak values for the treadmill and elliptical ergometer. Elliptical ergometer &OV0312;O2peak predicted from steady-state (51.4 ± .8 ml·kg−1·min−1) and steady-state/nonsteady-state (50.3 ± 2.0 ml·kg−1·min−1) models were higher than estimated elliptical ergometer &OV0312;O2peak, p < 0.01. HRmax, and estimates of &OV0312;O2peak were similar between the treadmill and elliptical ergometer; thus, crossmodal exercise prescriptions may be generated. The use of digital display estimates of submaximal oxygen uptake for the elliptical ergometer may not be an accurate method for predicting &OV0312;O2peak. Health-fitness professionals should use caution when utilizing submaximal elliptical ergometer digital display estimates to predict &OV0312;O2peak.

Health-related factors associated with the healthcare costs of office workers.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the relative importance of factors associated with total health care costs (THC) among office workers. Methods: Biometric and anthropometric values, health-related survey responses, and THC for 214 employees were analyzed. Factors that had a statistically significant (P < 0.05) bivariate correlation with logarithmically transformed THC data were entered into multiple regression analysis. Results: Age, gender, and SF-36 physical component summary score were identified as THC predictors (F3210 = 20.78, P < 0.001, Radj2 = 0.218). With physical component summary score excluded, age, gender, and exercise level collectively accounted for an almost identical amount of variance (F3210 = 19.64, P < 0.001, Radj2 = 0.212). Factorial ANOVA identified a significant interaction between age category and exercise level (F3198 = 3.04, P = 0.030). Conclusions: Inactivity was the only modifiable factor found to be predictive of THC, which appears to have an increasing effect with advancing age.