Utility of field-based techniques to assess Indigenous Australians' functional fitness and sedentary time

Objective: To examine the utility of field-based techniques to assess functional exercise capacity and sedentary time in Indigenous and non-Indigenous regional Australian adults. Study design: Observational, analytic cohort study. Methods: Ninety six adults residing in regional and remote Australian communities participated in this study (Indigenous n = 61 and non-Indigenous Australians n = 35). Participants undertook a field-based test of functional exercise capacity (6 min walk test; 6 MWT) and wore an accelerometer during waking hours for seven days, provided self-report data on physical activity and sedentary time and rated experiences in regard to the ease of complying with study protocols. Results: There were high levels of compliance in this study (Indigenous: 91% and non-Indigenous: 97%). Functional exercise capacity was lower in Indigenous Australians (P < 0.001), and independently associated with advancing age, higher BMI, and indigeneity, with 45% of variability in the 6 MWT distance explained by these factors. The relationship between accelerometer and self-report measures of sedentary behaviour was significant (P < 0.001) but only explained 17% of the total variation. Conclusions: This study demonstrated very good compliance for the methods utilised and is the first to report reduced functional exercise capacity in Indigenous people. Implications: The field-based techniques from this study demonstrate good utility for larger scale implementation in regional Indigenous populations. (C) 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.