HSE111 Week 1: National Physical Activity Guidelines & Domains of PA

National Physical Activity Guidelines & Domains of PA

Learning Objectives

  • Understand the four domains of Physical Activity (PA).
  • Differentiate between Physical Activity and Exercise.
  • Understand the National Physical Activity Guidelines (NPAG).
  • Understand the concept of METs and their relation to NPAG.
  • Apply the Active Australia Survey to assess compliance with NPAG.

Definition of Physical Activity

  • Physical Activity (PA): Bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that significantly increases energy expenditure.

Physical Activity vs. Exercise

  • Exercise: A subset of PA; planned, structured, and repetitive movements aimed at improving or maintaining fitness.

Four Domains of Physical Activity

  1. Leisure-time
  2. Home/Household
  3. Occupational
  4. Transport
Activity Examples by Domain
  • Transport PA: Walking to the bus stop, cycling to work.
  • Household PA: Mopping the floor, moving furniture.
  • Leisure-time PA: Walking the dog, lifting weights, netball training.
  • Occupational PA: Gardening (can also be household).

Accumulation of Physical Activity

  • Physical activity can occur in short bouts and still count towards guidelines.
  • Accumulating activities that meet guidelines is crucial for health benefits.

Incidental Activity

  • Unstructured, unplanned activities with no primary purpose of improving fitness (e.g., walking to the mail box).

Activity Levels

  • Active: Over 150 minutes/week.
  • Insufficiently Active: 1 to 150 minutes/week.
  • Inactive: No physical activity.

Sedentary Behaviour

  • Not the absence of PA, but behaviors with very low energy expenditure (≤ 1.5 METs) like TV viewing or sitting.

Physical Activity Recommendations (Guidelines Evolution)

  • Initial guidelines from ACSM in 1978 emphasized vigorous intensity.
  • Revised guidelines identified moderate PA as beneficial; total energy expenditure became a focus.
  • Current NPAG (2014) recommends 150-300 min of moderate PA or 75-150 min of vigorous PA per week.

WHO Updated Guidelines (2020)

  • Emphasizes all PA counts, reductions in sedentary time, and muscle-strengthening activities twice per week.
  • Suitability of PA based on age, including specific recommendations for children and older adults.

Understanding METs (Metabolic Equivalents)

  • MET measures the intensity of PA; for example, sitting is 1 MET, brisk walking is 3.5 METs.
  • Categories of intensity:
  • Light PA: 2.0-3.4 METs
  • Moderate PA: 3.5-5.9 METs
  • Vigorous PA: 6.0+ METs

Active Australia Survey

  • Tool used to assess if individuals meet NPAG.
  • Records time spent in various intensities of PA.

Summary of Lesson 1.2

  1. PA encompasses all significant movements increasing energy expenditure.
  2. Exercise is targeted fitness improvement.
  3. PA is categorized into four domains.
  4. PA plays a crucial role in disease prevention and treatment.
  5. Intensity of PA can be classified based on METs.
  6. Guidelines evolved from cardiovascular focus to recognizing all forms of PA, including resistance training.
  7. The Active Australia Survey assesses guideline compliance.