Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly
What It Measures
The PASE asks an older adult what they have actually done over the past seven days — not what exercise they take, but everything that involves moving.
Ten questions cover three areas. Leisure activity asks about walking, light and moderate and strenuous sport, and strength exercise, recording both how often and for how long. Household activity asks yes or no about light and heavy housework, home repairs, lawn and yard work, gardening, and caring for another person. One final question covers paid or volunteer work and how physically demanding it is. Each answer is multiplied by an empirically derived weight and summed, so activities count according to their actual energy cost.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: The scale and scoring manual circulate widely in research resources without a posted fee.
Learn More: The score has no fixed ceiling. Read a PASE score against a comparison group or against the person's own earlier score, not against a threshold. And it can be administered by mail, telephone, or in person.
