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To the Editor: In their study of the relationship of physical fitness and body mass index to cardiac disease in women, Dr Wessel and colleagues¹ incorrectly converted the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) score to peak metabolic equivalent tasks (METs). The Methods state that the actual score from the DASI questionnaire can be divided by 3.5 to estimate METs. However, the original article on the development of the DASI² states that weighting of items in the index was based on known metabolic costs, but the sum of the weighted answers must then be converted to VO₂ peak in mL/kg per minute using the equation VO₂ peak = 0.43 x DASI score + 9.6. METs can then be calculated by dividing the estimated VO₂ peak by 3.5.

Converting directly from DASI score to METs, as in the study by Wessel and colleagues, overestimates METs. This is important, as the study used . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Earl H. Schwark II, BS
eschwark@uga.edu
Exercise Science Department
University of Georgia
Athens

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