Face scale rating of perceived exertion during cardiopulmonary exercise test

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the face scale and heart rate (HR), exercise load and oxygen uptake (V̇O(2)) during cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Methods This was a prospective, observational study of face scale rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and HR, exercise load and V̇O(2) during cardiopulmonary exercise testing. A total of 30 healthy college men and 21 healthy college women were included. Subjects performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test with ramps and an increment increase in workload of 20 W/min. We recorded the responses of subjects using a face scale for RPE, HR, exercise load and V̇O(2) every minute during the cardiopulmonary exercise test. RESULTS: In men, there was a significant positive correlation between the face scale RPE and HR (ρ=0.856, p<0.01), exercise load (ρ=0.888, p<0.01) and V̇O(2) (ρ=0.878, p<0.01) during the cardiopulmonary exercise test. Similarly, in women, there was a significant positive correlation between the face scale RPE and HR (ρ=0.885, p<0.01), exercise load (ρ=0.908, p<0.01) and V̇O(2) (ρ=0.895, p<0.01) during the cardiopulmonary exercise tests. CONCLUSION: The face scale proposed in this study was related to physiological parameters, which suggests that it may be used to determine the intensity of exercise in healthy adults.