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Objectives: To design a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale using facial expressions and assessed the validity of the scale for both children and young adults., Design: Pearson moment-product correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation among heart rate (HR), RPE and pedaling workload., Methods: Fifteen children and 15 young adults participated in the study. Each participant randomly performed 5 pedaling tests with one repetition based on their submaximal acceptable workloads. Under each load condition, participants pedaled on a cycle ergometer for 10min; subsequently, participants completed Borg category ratio (CR10) or facial RPE (FRPE) scale assessments. Participants' heart rates (HR) were used to compare their scores on the Borg CR10 and Facial RPE scales., Results: The results show that both Borg CR10 and FRPE scales reflected different pedaling workload levels. For young adults, HR positively correlated with both RPE scores under the various workload levels (r=0.989 and 0.977, all p<0.005); for children, only FRPE scores were positively correlated with HR (r=0.908, p<0.05). In other words, FRPE scores effectively reflected the HR of children, whereas Borg CR10 scores did not., Conclusions: The children may not understand words as effectively as young adults did, however, they understand facial expressions. The FRPE scale proposed in this study may be available in some special cases because it can assess those who cannot comprehend the written words used for the scale., (Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

• Physical activity has been associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke. • It remains unclear regarding the effect of low-level physical activity. • This study suggests that 90 min of physical activity per week may be beneficial. • Such a low level is more achievable and accessible to the general population. Lack of exercise is a leading risk factor for stroke, and it has been demonstrated that increasing physical activity (PA) can prevent ischemic stroke. However, there has been limited research on the relationship between ischemic stroke and PA, especially among Asian populations. This study therefore investigates whether the level of PA in the Taiwanese population affects its risk of first-ever ischemic stroke, utilizing screening data on 58,857 individuals collected by the Keelung Health Bureau between 2005 and 2012. These subjects were divided into three groups based on their weekly exercise frequency and duration, i.e., 1) a no PA (NPA) group, 2) a low PA (LPA) group (less than 90 min of exercise per week), and 3) a high PA (HPA) group (90 min or more of exercise per week). The results showed that, as compared to the NPA group, the adjusted hazard ratio for ischemic stroke in the LPA group was 0.86 (95 % CI, 0.78–0.95, p < 0.0001); and that in the HPA group, it was also 0.86 (95 % CI, 0.79–0.94, p < 0.0001). In other words, even engaging in PA for less than 90 min per week may lower the risk of first-ever ischemic stroke. Importantly, LPA is more accessible, more sustainable, and easier to promote for the general population than the 150 min per week recommended by the World Health Organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]