PA R - Q ( Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire)

Being more active is very safe for most people, and for most should not pose any
problem or hazard. However, some people should check with their doctor before they
start becoming much more physically active. The following list of questions should be
completed by anyone who is looking to start an exercise program, to increase their
current activity level, or partake in a fitness testing assessment. The questionnaire helps
to determine how safe it is for you.

The questionnaire is suitable for those aged between 15 and 69. If you are over 69
years of age, and you are not used to being very active, check with your doctor.
Common sense is your best guide in answering these questions. Read the questions
carefully and answer each one honestly.

Yes No

Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition and that
you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor?

Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?

In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not
doing physical activity?
Yes No

Do you lose your balance because of dizziness or do you ever lose

consciousness?

Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a

change in your physical activity?

Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills)

for your blood pressure or heart condition?

Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical
activity?

If you answered YES

If you answered "yes" to one or more questions, talk with your doctor before you start
becoming much more active or before you have a fitness test. Tell you doctor about the
PAR-Q and which questions you answered "yes".
If you answered NO

If you answered "no" honestly to all of the questions, you can be reasonably sure that
you can start becoming much more physically active or take part in a physical fitness
appraisal – begin slowly and build up gradually. This is the safest and easiest way to go.

Things Change

Even if you answered "no" to all questions, you should delay becoming more active if
you are temporarily ill with a cold or a fever, or if you are or may be pregnant. If your
health changes so that you then answer "yes" to any of the above questions, tell your
fitness or health professional and ask whether you should change your physical activity
plan.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a measure of body composition. BMI is
calculated by taking a person's weight and dividing by their height squared. For
instance, if your height is 1.82 meters, the divisor of the calculation will be (1.82 *
1.82) = 3.3124. If your weight is 70.5 kilograms, then your BMI is 21.3 (70.5 /
3.3124) (see calculator links below).

The higher the figure the more overweight you are. Like any of these types of
measures it is only an indication and other issues such as body type and shape
have a bearing as well. Remember, BMI is just a guide - it does not accurately
apply to elderly populations, pregnant women or very muscular athletes such as
weight lifters.

Test Details

equipment required: scales and stadiometer as for weight and height.

procedure: BMI is calculated from body mass (M) and height (H). BMI = M / (H x
H), where M = body mass in kilograms and H = height in meters. The higher the
score usually indicating higher levels of body fat.

scoring: Use the table below to determine your BMI rating. The table shows the
World Health Organization BMI classification system. The rating scale is the same
for males and females. You can also use the reverse lookup BMI table for
determining your ideal weight based on height.

classification BMI (kg/m2) sub-classification BMI (kg/m2)

underweight < 18.50 Severe thinness < 16.00

Moderate thinness 16.00 - 16.99

Mild thinness 17.00 - 18.49

normal range 18.5 - 24.99 normal 18.5 - 24.99

overweight ≥ 25.00 pre-obese 25.00 - 29.99

Obese obese class I 30.00 - 34.99

(≥ 30.00)

obese class II 35.00 - 39.99

obese class II ≥ 40.00

source: World Health Organization

target population: BMI is often used as a general population measure to determine

the level of health risk associated with obesity.
advantages: only simple calculations are required from standard height and weight
measurements.

disadvantages: in certain populations BMI can be inaccurate as a measure of body

fatness, for example large and muscular though lean athletes may score high BMI
levels which incorrectly rates them as obese.

other comments: Other simple measures of body composition, such as skinfolds

measures, would be preferable if available.

The following table gives an indication of what BMI scores mean.

underweight < 20

healthy range 20-25

overweight 25-30

obese > 30

Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR)

aim: the purpose of this test to determine the ratio of waist circumference to the
hip circumference, as this has been shown to be related to the risk of coronary
heart disease.

equipment required: tape measure

procedure: A simple calculation of the measurements of the waist girth divided by

the hip girth. Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) = Gw / Gh, where Gw = waist girth, Gh =
hip girth. It does not matter which units of measurement you use, as long as it is
the same for each measure.

scoring: The table below gives general guidelines for acceptable levels for hip to
waist ratio. Acceptable values are excellent and good. You can use any units for the
measurements (e.g. cm or inches), as it is only the ratio that is important.
 male female

extreme > 1.00 > 0.90

high 0.95 - 1.00 0.85 - 0.90

average 0.90 - 0.95 0.80 - 0.85

good 0.85 - 0.90 0.75 - 0.80

excellent < 0.85 < 0.75

target population: This measure is often used to determine the coronary artery
disease risk factor associated with obesity.

advantages: the WHR is a simple measure that can be taken at home by anyone to
monitor their own body composition levels.

other comments: The basis of this measure as a coronary disease risk factor is the
assumption is that fat stored around the waist poses a greater risk to health than
fat stored elsewhere in the body.

The Waist to Height Ratio (WHtR), also called waist-to-stature ratio (WSR), is a
simple measurement of body composition and one of the commonly used screening
tools for obesity. The measurement is based on waist girth (circumference) and
standing height. WHtR is not unlike Body Mass Index (BMI) which is based on
height and weight measures, though it is equivalent to or slightly better than waist
circumference and superior to BMI in predicting higher cardiometabolic risk (Yoo,
2016).

The generally acceptable level is if your waist measurement is less than half your
height (e.g. ratio is less than 0.5). Higher values of WHtR indicate higher risk of
obesity-related cardiovascular diseases. You can use any units for the
measurements (e.g. cm or inches), as it is only the ratio that is important.

Rating Men Women

Extremely Slim ≤ 0.34 ≤ 0.34

Underweight 0.35 to 0.43 0.35 to 0.41

Healthy 0.43 to 0.52 0.42 to 0.48

Overweight 0.53 to 0.57 0.49 to 0.53

Very Overweight 0.58 to 0.62 0.54 to 0.57

Morbidly Obese ≥ 0.63 ≥ 0.58