The Physical Activity Vital Sign for Older Adults: Time for an Update

Current best practice for assessing exercise participation involves asking a generic question about moderate to vigorous physical activity that may bias respondents to consider only cardiorespiratory exercise. Strong evidence shows that other exercise modalities, such as strength and balance training, are equally or more important than cardiorespiratory training for reducing risk in some areas of concern. This editorial discusses current practice, proposes significant enhancements, reviews data supporting the inclusion of more in-depth physical activity assessment questions by service providers, discusses fitness assessment, provides specific exercise prescription guidelines, and links readers to community resources.