Abstract :
Introduction: Stair climbing being one of the most common suggestions as part of physical activity (PA) promotion, adding information regarding stair climbing as part of PA assessment could be beneficial but not usually done. This study was aimed at understanding the perception of health professionals about the need, feasibility, advantages and disadvantages of including stair climbing information as part of physical activity questionnaire.
Materials and Methods: Eight health professionals from departments of physiotherapy and community medicine were shortlisted based on their domain expertise and experience. Using a content analysis framework, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted among health professionals who consented to participate. The interviews were conducted at a mutually convenient time and audio recorded. Data coders performed verbatim transcription of the interviews to MS word for content analysis and themes were derived from the transcription by the investigators.
Results: All participants opined that stair climbing can be beneficial form of PA promotion and seven felt adding information about stair climbing is useful. Advantages reported by participants include capturing all activities of an individual, stair climbing being a part of regular PA and capturing calories burnt in stair climbing. Majority of dwellings not having stairs, less opportunity to climb stairs in urban areas due to presence of elevators, difficulty for individuals with pain/weakness and recall bias were mentioned as limitations. Most suggested adding a question to ascertain if they climb stairs as part of their routine before proceeding to ask about frequency.
Conclusion: Adding stair climbing information to PA questionnaires is needed but questions about its relevance in large population exist.
Keyword :
Physical activity, Stair climbing, Physical activity questionnaire, Physical activity Promotion, Exercise.