How were the physical activity guidelines developed?
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) are based on scientific exercise guidelines rigorously developed by an international group composed of SCI scientists, people living with SCI, clinicians, and representatives from SCI organizations. The infographic below shows how the scientific guidelines have been developed.
There are two scientific SCI exercise guidelines: the Fitness Guideline, and the Cardiometabolic Health Guideline. The Fitness Guideline describes the minimum amount of activity needed to achieve fitness and health benefits. The Cardiometabolic Health Guideline describes the amount of activity needed to achieve Cardiometabolic Health benefits, such as lowering the risk of developing several chronic diseases.
The starting level of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) is based on the Fitness Guideline. The advanced level of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) is based on the combination of the Fitness Guidelines and the Cardiometabolic Health Guidelines.
References:
- Martin Ginis KA, Van Der Scheer JW, Latimer-Cheung AE, et al. (2018) Evidence-based scientific exercise guidelines for adults with spinal cord injury: An update and a new guideline. Spinal Cord. 56(4):308-321.
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