Health Assessment Flashcards
7 cards from real ACSM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Health Assessment flashcards as text
Which component of the health history is most important to review before conducting a maximal exercise test?
Answer: Cardiovascular symptoms and risk factors
Cardiovascular symptoms and risk factors directly affect the safety and appropriateness of maximal exercise testing.
A client's resting blood pressure reads 148/92 mmHg on two separate occasions. According to ACSM guidelines, how should this be classified?
Answer: Stage 1 Hypertension
Stage 1 Hypertension is defined as systolic 130–139 mmHg or diastolic 80–89 mmHg; 148/92 falls in Stage 2 (≥140/90), but per updated 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines adopted by ACSM, 148/92 is Stage 2 Hypertension.
During a health appraisal, a 52-year-old male reports smoking 1 pack per day for 30 years. How does this factor into ACSM cardiovascular risk stratification?
Answer: It counts as one positive risk factor
Current cigarette smoking (or quitting within the past 6 months) counts as one positive cardiovascular disease risk factor regardless of pack-year history.
What is the primary purpose of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+)?
Answer: To screen for contraindications before initiating exercise
The PAR-Q+ is a self-administered pre-exercise screening tool designed to identify individuals who may need medical clearance before starting physical activity.
When measuring waist circumference, where should the tape measure be placed?
Answer: At the level of the iliac crest
ACSM recommends measuring waist circumference at the level of the iliac crest, at the end of a normal expiration.
A client with a resting heart rate of 88 bpm, BMI of 31, and no other risk factors asks about exercise. What ACSM pre-participation screening recommendation applies?
Answer: Light-to-moderate exercise is acceptable; vigorous exercise requires medical clearance
ACSM's 2015 updated guidelines allow low-to-moderate exercise without clearance for most individuals but recommend medical consultation before vigorous exercise if risk factors are present.
Which finding during resting ECG would be an absolute contraindication to exercise testing?
Answer: Uncontrolled symptomatic arrhythmia
Uncontrolled symptomatic cardiac arrhythmias are an absolute contraindication to exercise testing because they pose an immediate risk of hemodynamic compromise.