Physical inactivity is a significant risk factor for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. Despite evidence supporting physical activity’s role in preventing and managing these diseases, patients are rarely screened for inactivity in primary care settings, potentially leading to underdiagnosis and suboptimal management.
The Exercise Vital Sign (EVS) and Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) are tools developed to identify patients who are insufficiently active in their daily life. Previous studies have shown the utility of these screening tools in detecting relationships between inactivity and various health outcomes. However, few studies have explored the comprehensive effects of inactivity screening across a broad range of health outcomes. This study seeks to compare health profiles of patients screened for inactivity versus those not screened and examine differences in health outcomes based on activity levels.
A study by Chapman et al., published in the journal of “Preventing Chronic Disease”, investigated the value of screening for physical inactivity using the Exercise Vital Sign (EVS) questionnaire. Data were extracted from electronic medical records on exercise behaviour, demographics, disease diagnoses, and disease burden. The study compared 7,261 screened patients with 33,445 unscreened patients. The active patients had a lower risk of 19 inactivity-related conditions, including obesity (P < 0.001), depression (P < 0.001), hypertension (P < 0.001), diabetes (P < 0.001), and valvular disease (P < 0.001), compared to insufficiently active and inactive patients. Inactive and insufficiently active patients are at higher risk for chronic conditions, supporting the need for evidence-based lifestyle behavioural counselling programs for these patients (See Graphic).
(Source: Chapman CG, Schroeder MC, Marcussen B, Carr LJ. Identifying Patients at Risk for Cardiometabolic and Chronic Diseases by Using the Exercise Vital Sign to Screen for Physical Inactivity. Preventing chronic disease. 2025;22:E02.)