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Physical Activity Rating (PA-R)

The Physical Activity Rating (PA-R) is a questionnaire tool is for categorizing a person's level of physical activity (Jackson et al., 1990). It is used in the equations for the Non-Exercise Fitness Test. Your PAR score is a value between 0 and 7.



Select the number that best describes your overall level of physical activity for the previous 6 MONTHS:

  Does not participate regularly in programed recreation, sport, or physical activity.
0 points Avoids walking or exercise (for example, always uses elevators, drives whenever possible instead of walking).
1 points Walks for pleasure, routinely uses stairs, occasionally exercises sufficiently to cause heavy breathing or perspiration.
  Participates regularly in recreation or work requiring modest physical activity (such as golf, horseback riding, calisthenics, gymnastics, table tennis, bowling, weight lifting, or yard work).
2 points 10–60 minutes per week
3 points Over 1 hour per week
  Participates regularly in heavy physical exercise (such as running or jogging, swimming, cycling, rowing, skipping rope, running in place) or engages in vigorous aerobic type activity (such as tennis, basketball, or handball).
4 points Runs less than 1 mile per week or spends less than 30 minutes per week in comparable physical activity.
5 points Runs 1–5 miles per week or spends 30–60 minutes per week in comparable physical activity.
6 points Runs 5–10 miles per week or spends 1–3 hours per week in comparable physical activity.
7 points Runs more than 10 miles per week or spends more than 3 hours per week in comparable physical activity.

Source: Jackson et al., (1990). Prediction of functional aerobic capacity without exercise testing. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 22(6), 863-870.



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