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Validity and reliability of peripheral pulse wave velocity measures in a seated posture

Hypertension Research volume 43, pages 845–847 (2020)Cite this article

Excessive sedentary behavior is a risk factor for arterial stiffness, cardiovascular disease, and mortality [1, 2]. Experimental studies report vascular impairment from prolonged sitting protocols of 3–6 h in length [3, 4], and interrupting sedentary behavior appears to mitigate these detrimental effects [3]. However, the acute effects of prolonged sitting on pulse wave velocity (PWV) are unclear. Guidelines recommend assessment of PWV in a supine posture [5], yet the true effect of prolonged sitting on PWV may be impacted by the seated-to-supine posture change prior to measurement. Though measurement in a seated posture may thus be preferred, the measurement properties of PWV while maintaining a seated posture are unknown. Thus, we studied the validity (two tests) and reliability (one test) of PWV assessment in a seated posture.

Twenty men and women with no contraindications for PWV testing participated in a randomized crossover study (SIT vs. SUPINE). The experimental conditions were separated by at least 2, but not more than 13, days and followed 12 h of abstention from food, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. During each experimental visit, participants completed counterbalanced assessments of both seated and supine carotid-radial (crPWV) and carotid-ankle (caPWV) PWV after a 10-min rest. Following this, at each visit, in counterbalanced postures, subjects consumed 300 mg of caffeine, which served as a standardized perturbation. PWV was measured at 10, 20, and 30 min postcaffeine consumption. PWV was measured by a Complior Analyze system (ALAM Medical, France), with three separate scans of ten valid waveforms at each time point. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) were calculated to determine reliability across testing days; ICC ≥ 0.75 was considered good reliability. Pearson’s correlations (r) determined the validity of seated (alternative method) versus supine (gold standard) peripheral PWV measurements. Generalized linear mixed models evaluated differences in PWV response across time points, adjusting for age, sex, and condition order.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, USA

    Robert J. Kowalsky

  2. Department of Health and Physical Activity, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Robert J. Kowalsky, Sophy J. Perdomo, John Michael Taormina, Melissa A. Jones & Bethany Barone Gibbs

  3. Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Lee Stoner

  4. School of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

    Daniel P. Credeur

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  1. Robert J. Kowalsky
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Correspondence to Robert J. Kowalsky.

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Kowalsky, R.J., Stoner, L., Perdomo, S.J. et al. Validity and reliability of peripheral pulse wave velocity measures in a seated posture. Hypertens Res 43, 845–847 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-020-0424-2

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