Pre-Exercise Screening
The minimum qualification required for measures 1-3 (BMI, waist girth and resting blood pressure) is a Certificate III in Fitness
The minimum qualification required for measures 4 and 5 (fasting lipid profile and fasting blood glucose) is an Exercise Physiologist
It is important that the professional administering these measures has additional skills and knowledge to be able to safely perform metabolic measures, including a deeper understanding of blood lipids, the various sub-fractions, what dietary and lifestyle factors can influence these values and what the cut-offs and recommended levels are for optimal health.
To complete this stage, a business might aim to develop a network of Exercise Physiologists to refer to or may aim to have one that can contract their services on specific days. Alternatively, given that this stage is optional, a business may choose to only include the BMI, waist girth and resting blood pressure measures, utilising the skills of Certificate III & IV qualified trainers.
The reason that the APSS Stage 1 is compulsory is that it screens for high risk. If someone is high risk, they will require guidance from a medical or allied health professional prior to commencing exercise. Stages 2 and 3 screen for those at moderate or low risk, and in both instances the person can safely begin moderate intensity activity without further guidance from a medical or allied health professional.
While it is preferable for all stages to be completed and for the process to be as thorough as possible, it is acknowledged that this will not always be possible. Therefore Stage 2 is not deemed mandatory.
While many fitness facilities and individual providers ask their clients to sign waivers, they may not always protect the provider. Courts have held that you can’t “waive” your right to provide a duty of care and contracts saying you waive the right for personal injury may not protect you in all circumstances.
Given that there can never be complete safety in recreational and sporting activities that involve significant physical exertion, it is good practice to advise people of the potential risks when undertaking exercise [via a risk warning, rather than a waiver] and to include a disclaimer or notice that highlights the client’s responsibility to disclose all information that may affect exercise prescription and advice.
AUSactive recommends that professionals and businesses seek independent legal advice to determine the best wording for business protection.
In line with health and medical records, the APSS results should be kept on file for 7 years. The length of time that client APSS results remain “current” greatly depends on the results. If the client is considered low-moderate risk (i.e. does not tick YES to any of the Stage 1 questions), then it would be advisable to aim for a periodic review (e.g. annually) to ensure that nothing has changed. It is important to also remind clients that if any health conditions change at any time, their centre or trainer needs to be kept informed so that they can adjust prescribed exercise or refer accordingly (this should be included in a risk warning or disclaimer).
No. Organisations cannot brand the tool and infer that it is part of their intellectual property as this is in breach of copyright law.
Options available include:
Use a cover sheet with your branding that introduces and refers to the attached APSS.
Re-produce the content in its entirety and make reference to the copyright owners (Exercise and Sports Science Australia, Fitness Australia, Exercise is Medicine and Sports Medicine Australia 2019).
Using the national standard that has been endorsed by the national fitness, exercise and sports medicine peak bodies will deliver enhanced credibility and confidence to your clients.
For issues such as risk management and safety, demonstrating that you meet evidence-based national standards that re supported by industry authorities will make more of an impact than promoting your own logo in isolation.
