title: Relevance of the measure of perceived exertion for the rehabilitation of obese patients.
abstract: The most common tool used for measuring effort perception is the rating scale of perceived exertion (RPE) developed by Borg. This scale is also used for various outcomes in the general population. The validity and reliability of this scale have already been reported in obese patients. However, the relevance of measuring perceived exertion in obese patients is still poorly known. This review of the literature presents the Borg RPE scale (i.e., validity, reliability and recommendations) and its main advantages during graded exercise tests (e.g., comparison of physical capacity, predicting physiological variables, verifying exhaustion and exercise safety) and rehabilitation programs (e.g., individualized exercise intensity, evaluation of the impact of a rehabilitation program and even determining the perceptual preference) in obese patients. This review of the literature underlines the relevance and usefulness of the Borg RPE scale, which is still underused in obese patients. However, additional studies are still necessary before using this scale routinely in all obese patients (regardless of the severity of their obesity or associated complications).
authors.affiliation: EA 3832, centre d'études des transformations des activités physiques et sportives, faculté des sciences du sport, université de Rouen, 76000 Rouen, France. jeremy.coquart@voila.fr
authors.forename: J-B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Coquart
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tourny-Chollet
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lemaître
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lemaire
authors.forename: J-M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Grosbois
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcin
mesh_terms: D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011594:Psychometrics