Design and development of a universal OMNI exertion faces scale

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Human Factors Engineering
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Measuring perceived exertion is crucial for exercise prescription and monitoring.
• Existing scales may have limitations in universal applicability and consistency across diverse populations.
• The original OMNI Faces Scale is a widely used tool for assessing exertion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop a new OMNI Exertion Faces Scale (OMNI Faces) incorporating universal design principles.
• To enhance acceptability and usability for measuring perceived exertion across varied age groups, physical activities, and clinical populations.
• To create a more inclusive and versatile tool for monitoring exertion.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative development with the original OMNI creator.
• Refinement through consultations with educators, speech-language pathologists, clinicians, and user feedback from children and adults.
• Incorporation of universal design criteria, simplified instructions, and alignment with the Heart Rate Reserve method.

Main Results:

• The OMNI Faces Scale features five verbal descriptors and five pictorial images to minimize language and visual inconsistencies.
• The scale is non-gendered, non-activity-specific, and utilizes accessible fonts.
• Simplified instructions (71 words) are suitable for assessing perceived exertion in both aerobic and resistance activities.

Conclusions:

• The newly designed OMNI Faces Scale offers a versatile and inclusive approach to monitoring perceived exertion in children and adults.
• The scale is intended for broad application across diverse physical activity contexts.
• Future research will focus on validating its psychometric properties and exploring multilingual adaptations.