Defining Athletes and Exercisers

Current definitions of an athlete range from loosely defined to overly restrictive, rely on qualitative subjective descriptors, and fail to capture the majority of physically active patients. To improve the understanding between exercise and health metrics a more standardized and granular classifica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of cardiology 2019-02, Vol.123 (3), p.532-535
Main Authors: McKinney, James, Velghe, Jane, Fee, Johanna, Isserow, Saul, Drezner, Jonathan A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Athletes
Classification
Electrocardiography
Exercise
Metabolism
Patients
Physical fitness
Physiology
Recreation
Sporting goods
Student athletes
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Summary:Current definitions of an athlete range from loosely defined to overly restrictive, rely on qualitative subjective descriptors, and fail to capture the majority of physically active patients. To improve the understanding between exercise and health metrics a more standardized and granular classification of exercising patients is required. We propose a simplified algorithm to categorize and define exercising patients based on the: (1) intent of exercise, (2) volume of exercise (hours/week), and (3) level of competition. Further classification of physically active patients can be derived based on the intensity and volume of activity using metabolic equivalent-hours per week. In conclusion, a formal framework to classify athletes and quantify both the volume and intensity of exercise will enable more precise and meaningful associations between exercise and health outcomes.
ISSN:0002-9149
1879-1913
DOI:10.1016/j.amjcard.2018.11.001