An investigation of pre-activity cardiovascular screening procedures in health/fitness facilities--part I: is adherence with national standards decreasing?

This investigation determined the number of health/fitness facilities within a Midwestern region conducting pre-activity cardiovascular screening procedures (PACSPs) consistent with American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine (AHA/ACSM) standards. Interviews were conducted with 123 commercial, community, corporate, and academic settings (84% response rate), with 40 (33%) facilities requiring members to complete a pre-activity screening device. Of those, 20 (50%) required physician clearance for "at-risk" members prior to physical activity participation. Personal training clients completed a pre-activity screening device at 50 (61%) facilities, with 32 (64%) requiring physician clearance for at-risk clients. The data were analyzed by setting, with corporate facilities having a significantly higher (P=.0049) adherence rate with AHA/ACSM standards than other facilities. Data were compared with previous studies and indicated a decrease in the number of facilities conducting PACSPs. Findings indicate that health/fitness personnel need to become aware of the relevance of conducting PACSPs.