Fitness and the heart, explained
Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) calculator
The Duke Activity Status Index is a 12-question list of everyday activities, from dressing to running, that estimates your functional capacity: how much physical work your heart, lungs and muscles let you do. It was designed as a short questionnaire you fill in yourself, without an exercise test. This page scores it and shows the estimated peak oxygen uptake and METs.
Can you do these activities?
12 yes/no questions. Answer for what you can do now, without help. Nothing you choose leaves this page.
What you will see
Your DASI score out of 58.2, the estimated peak oxygen uptake (VO2) and the matching METs.
Educational only, not medical advice. A questionnaire estimate, not a heart test or a clearance for surgery or exercise.
Source
Hlatky MA et al., American Journal of Cardiology 1989. The 12 item weights are as printed in the original English version reprinted in Table 1 of Coutinho-Myrrha MA et al., Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia 2014; the questions here are our own plain-language wording of those items. The VO2 formula is as quoted from Hlatky 1989 in Tang WHW et al., Journal of the American Heart Association 2014.
Validated in
Developed in 50 people having an exercise test with measured peak oxygen uptake, then tested as a self-filled questionnaire in a separate group of 50 people.
Limits
A self-report estimate. It correlated only moderately with measured fitness when people filled it in themselves, and the original groups were small. The VO2 and MET numbers come from a formula, not a measurement. It is not a test for heart disease and not a clearance for surgery or for a new exercise program.
How the DASI is scored
Each activity you can do adds its weight, and the weights add up to a total from 0 to 58.2. A higher score means better functional capacity (Coutinho-Myrrha 2014). Each weight reflects the energy cost of that activity (Coutinho-Myrrha 2014).
| Activity | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1. Take care of yourself | 2.75 |
| 2. Walk indoors | 1.75 |
| 3. Walk a block or two on level ground | 2.75 |
| 4. Climb a flight of stairs or walk up a hill | 5.50 |
| 5. Run a short distance | 8.00 |
| 6. Do light housework | 2.70 |
| 7. Do moderate housework | 3.50 |
| 8. Do heavy housework | 8.00 |
| 9. Do yard work | 4.50 |
| 10. Have sexual relations | 5.25 |
| 11. Take part in moderate recreation | 6.00 |
| 12. Take part in strenuous sports | 7.50 |
Weights as printed in the original English version (Coutinho-Myrrha 2014).
From score to VO2 and METs
The DASI score converts to an estimated peak oxygen uptake with the original formula: peak VO2 (mL/kg/min) = 0.43 x DASI + 9.6. One MET, the energy you use at rest, is 3.5 mL/kg/min, so METs = VO2 / 3.5 (Tang 2014). A score of 0 gives about 9.6 mL/kg/min (2.7 METs) and the top score of 58.2 gives about 34.6 mL/kg/min (9.9 METs).
How well it works
In the 1989 development group the score correlated well with measured peak oxygen uptake (Spearman correlation 0.80). In a separate group of 50 people who filled it in themselves, the correlation was 0.58 (Hlatky 1989). In a later study of 8987 stable patients having elective coronary angiography, people in the lowest quarter of DASI scores had about 4.8 times the 3-year risk of death, heart attack or stroke of those in the highest quarter, and about 3.8 times after adjusting for usual risk factors (Tang 2014). Those are group findings in heart patients, not a prediction for you.
What this score is for
The DASI was built as a short questionnaire that measures functional capacity and aspects of quality of life without an exercise test (Hlatky 1989). Your care team may weigh it with other information. A low score is a reason to talk with your care team about what limits you, not a diagnosis. A high score does not rule out heart disease.
Related tools
Preparing for major surgery? The Revised Cardiac Risk Index page explains another score surgical teams may use. For your long-term heart risk, see the heart risk calculator (AHA PREVENT). Older adult worried about strength? The FRAIL scale and the SARC-F questionnaire look at frailty and muscle loss.
Sources
- Hlatky MA, Boineau RE, Higginbotham MB, Lee KL, Mark DB, Califf RM, Cobb FR, Pryor DB. A brief self-administered questionnaire to determine functional capacity (the Duke Activity Status Index). Am J Cardiol. 1989;64(10):651-654. doi:10.1016/0002-9149(89)90496-7. PMID 2782256. (Origin of the DASI; its abstract describes the 2 groups of 50 people and the correlations with measured peak oxygen uptake. We read the abstract.) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2782256/
- Coutinho-Myrrha MA, Dias RC, Fernandes AA, Araujo CG, Hlatky MA, Pereira DG, Britto RR. Duke Activity Status Index for cardiovascular diseases: validation of the Portuguese translation. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2014;102(4):383-390. doi:10.5935/abc.20140031. PMC4028943. (Table 1 reprints the original English DASI with the weight of each of the 12 items and the 0 to 58.2 range.) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4028943/
- Tang WHW, Topol EJ, Fan Y, Wu Y, Cho L, Stevenson C, Ellis SG, Hazen SL. Prognostic value of estimated functional capacity incremental to cardiac biomarkers in stable cardiac patients. J Am Heart Assoc. 2014;3(5):e000960. doi:10.1161/JAHA.114.000960. PMC4323823. (Quotes the Hlatky formula, peak VO2 = 0.43 x DASI + 9.6, and 1 MET = 3.5 mL/kg/min; studied the DASI in 8987 patients having elective coronary angiography.) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4323823/
Written and maintained by the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team. We do not have a medical reviewer; every claim links to its primary source above. Last reviewed: 2026-11-01. Spotted an error? See About.