ABSTRACT
aim: Physical activity (PA) offers protective benefits against at least 25 chronic conditions including psychological stress. The health benefits of PA may be largely attributed to improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). However, current guidelines based on PA duration and intensity are controversial, and both are prone to measurement error. We designed a New Zealand specific physical activity frequency and type (PAFT) question, our aims were to examine if PAFT could predict CRF and psychological stress status. methods: In experiment one, 20 subjects who regularly perfumed vigorous type PA completed PAFT prior to World Health Organization (WHO) recommended cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) (VO2Peak) estimation in a controlled exercise laboratory. In experiment two, 81 subjects completed PAFT and a reliable validated measure of stress (the ten-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)). results: Vigorous type PA frequency had a strong association (R2=0.71, p<0.01) with VO2Peak and was also the most significant (p<0.01) predictor of low stress. conclusions: A simple quick PA type and frequency question predicts CRF and stress status. PA duration and intensity are not required to estimate the health benefits of PA. Two vigorous type PA activities per week can be recommended as a minimum PA dose to decrease risk of stress in similar populations.