Natural exercise patterns in children using the talk test as the measure of intensity

Abstract

Physiologic exercise response tests are completed to determine the intensity of exercise and exercise capacity of a participant. These tests of physiological response and exercise intensity are easy to measure when in a clinical setting because of the readily available equipment. In a clinical setting it would be difficult to know intensity of exercise without monitoring equipment. Consequently, subjective measures for exercise intensity have been introduced to lessen the burden of using expensive equipment. Subjective tests allow for simple questions (i.e. “Are you able to speak comfortably?”) to be asked about intensity and the relative physiologic responses correlated with the answer. This simplicity of subjective measures sparked the interest in the Talk Test (TT). The purpose of this study was to identify if the TT is an appropriate measure of intensity with natural exercise patterns in children. This study looks specifically at the TT as a measurement of exercise intensity in children ages 9 to 12. Ten children were recruited to perform the study. Subjects completed three visits consisting of familiarization and the TT, a maximal oxygen consumption test, and an interval based exercise bout with the TT. Chi-square analysis found a significant relationship in the interval based exercise between predicted ability to speak comfortably and observed ability to speak comfortably. This study identified that the TT was an appropriate measure of intensity with natural exercise patterns in children.