[The Dijon Physical Activity Score: reproducibility and correlation with exercise testing in healthy elderly...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Exercise Physiology
• Health Assessment

Background:

• Assessing physical activity in the elderly is crucial for maintaining health and independence.
• Existing tools may not be suitable for all elderly populations, necessitating new, validated measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a French physical activity score for use in healthy elderly individuals.
• To assess the score's reproducibility and correlation with objective measures of physical fitness.

Main Methods:

• A brief questionnaire assessing self-assessed physical fitness, daily activity, leisure, and rest was developed.
• The score's reproducibility was evaluated using Spearman's coefficient.
• Correlations were examined between the physical activity score and parameters like peak VO(2), six-minute walk test, and timed up and go test.

Main Results:

• The study included 57 healthy elderly subjects (mean age 77.6 years).
• The questionnaire took an average of 3.96 minutes to complete.
• A significant correlation was found between the physical activity score and peak VO(2) (0.302, P <0.05) and peak power (0.257, P <0.10).

Conclusions:

• The validated French physical activity score offers a simple method for assessing activity in active elderly individuals.
• The score demonstrates partial correlation with maximal physical capacity.
• Further validation in elderly populations with various diseases is recommended.