Last modified: 2022-09-03
Abstract
Introduction/Background: One means of tracking the intensity of exertion is to rate its perception using a self-report scale such as the Borg scale (BS). The BS is commonly used to assess the intensity of exertion on specific type of physical activities (PAs) such as swimming or cycling. However, to assess the intensity of PA on a daily basis, it may be relevant to use the BS not on a single activity but on a set of activities that a person may perform during a day. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the energy expenditure (EE) and perceived exertion (PE) in a compendium of PAs in young adults and elderly.
Material and method: This is a cross-sectional study with a descriptive and analytical aim. Fifty-six participants completed a single continuous incremental exertion session of 6 PAs. The PAs included supine-resting, office-working on computer in a sitting position, biking at 70 watt, walking at 4.6 km.h-1, and running at 6.4 km.h-1 for young and at 5.8 km.h-1 for elderly. Each participant wore a portable gas analyzer for the estimation of the EE. EE was estimated in Metabolic Equivalence Task (MET). The PE was estimated using the Borg scale.
Results: A total of 29 young and 27 elderly (mean age [year]: young = 26.3 ± 4.1 and elderly = 70.7, body mass [kg]: young = 25 ± 3 and elderly = 25 ± 4) completed the protocol. The median PE (BS score) and the mean EE for the whole scenario was respectively 7 and 3.2 MET in young while they were respectively 8 and 3 MET in elderly. Student t-Test and Mann-Whitney Statistic showed that there was not a statistically significant difference in the EE in young compared with elderly (P > 0.05). However, there was a statistically significant difference in the PE in the two groups (P < 0.05) during light and moderate-intensity PAs. Furthermore, we found very low correlations indices (r < 0.5, P > 0.05) between EE estimations (in MET) and PE during PAs in the 2 groups.
Conclusion: The present data indicate that despite its importance, the Borg-Rating PE is limitated in the estimation of the EE in a compendium of PAs not only in elderly but also in young.