Health Risk Appraisal

Patient education involves the identification of primary risk factors for CVD. Explain what a primary risk is and provide three examples, including the threshold for each

A primary is risk is a clinical diagnosis or lifestyle behavior that increases the risk of heart disease; Some examples are cigarette smoking (current, quit within 6 mo. , or exposed to environmental tobacco smoke), age (men 45 or older, women 55 or older), and sedentary lifestyle (no participation in at least 30 min of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity for at least 3 days/wk for at least 3 mo.)

Provide an example of a medical condition that would require medical clearance prior to exercise testing or participation

Cardiovascular disease

Explain a sign or symptom that may indicate a client has CV, metabolic, or renal disease

Dyspnea (Shortness of breath) is an abnormally uncomfortable awareness of breathing and happens at rest or with mild exertion; occurs during heavy exertion in individuals with high CRF and during mild exertion in untrained individuals

Consider a 35 yr old female who is 5 ft 6 in and weighs 160 lbs smokes occasionally on the weekends, and walks 3 days per week for 35 min. Her HSQ indicates that she does not have high BP or cholesterol or type 2 diabetes. Her resting BP is 118/60 and her resting heart rate is 85 bpm. What are her primary risk factors, and why did you designate them as such?

Her primary risk factors are cigarette smoking and living a sedentary lifestyle if her walks do not induce an increased heart rate and are performed at a rather casual pace; smoking is certainly a risk factor because she has not restrained from smoking for at least 6 mo. and is still exposed to the tobacco smoke on occasion

After obtaining fitness test results, what standards should the fitness professional compare them with?

His/her own prior exercise level

If a prospective exercise participant chooses not to complete a PAR Q or HSQ, what is the next course of action?

Informing the individual of the benefits of the screening, the potential risks of not completing the screening, and ensuring the confidentiality of the information given in the screening

The categories of health appraisal can be recalled using the acronym MR. PLEASE. Provide brief example of what each letter represents

M- make a classification on how often the individual currently exercises R- review medical history for established CV, metabolic, or renal disease P- pertinent signs and symptoms of CV, metabolic, or renal disease L- level of desired aerobic exercise intensity E- establish whether medical clearance is necessary A- administer fitness tests and evaluation results S- setup exercise prescription E- evaluate progress with follow up tests

What is an example of a chronic disease that puts an individual at high risk for cardiovascular complications during exercise?

Obesity

When is it appropriate to use the PAR-Q versus the pre participation HSQ?

PAR Q- When the participant is seeking services at a local, public exercise facility and a HSQ is illegal to conduct. HSQ- When the participant is seeking services at a qualified facility; physical therapy being an example

What is the first step in the pre participation screening process, and what is its main objective?

The first step is providing the participant with a pre participation screening questionnaire; main objective being to determine whether medical clearance is necessary before exercise

Explain two scenarios in which a participant may be referred to a clinic based supervised exercise program

The participant has CVD, metabolic, or renal disease; a participant is found to have chronic bronchitis preceding further testing and their oxygen levels require consistent monitoring during exercise

Why is it important to consider participants' HDL-C levels when determining the number of risk factors?

To determine whether the participant has dyslipidemia as a risk factor and if the participant should have a risk factor subtracted from their total (provided their levels meet the criteria necessary for subtraction)

Why is it important to determine if a prospective exercise participant is a current, regular exerciser or not?

To identify whether the individual is unaccustomed to regular physical activity and if regular exercise would place excessive pressure on the CV system and/or increase the risk of complications