scholarly journals Generation and validation of ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer cut-points for assessing physical activity intensity in older adults. The OUTDOOR ACTIVE validation study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252615
Author(s):  
Karin Bammann ◽  
Nicola K. Thomson ◽  
Birte Marie Albrecht ◽  
Duncan S. Buchan ◽  
Chris Easton

The study of physical activity in older adults is becoming more and more relevant. For evaluation of physical activity recommendations, intensity-specific accelerometer cut-points are utilized. However, research on accelerometer cut-points for older adults is still scarce. The aim of the study was to generate placement-specific cut-points of ActiGraph GT3X+ activity counts and raw measures of acceleration to determine physical activity intensity in older adults. A further aim was to compare the validity of the generated cut-points for a range of different physical activities. The study was a single experimental trial using a convenience sample. Study participants were 20 adults aged 59 to 73 years. Accelerometers were worn at six different placements (one on each wrist, one on each ankle, and two at the hip) and breath-by-breath indirect calorimetry was used as the reference for energy. The experiment comprised of two parts; a) The first required participants to walk on a treadmill at incremental speeds (3.0–5.0 km·h-1), and b) Five different everyday activities (reading, cleaning, shopping, cycling, aerobics) were staged in the laboratory setting. Accelerometer cut-points (activity counts, raw data) were derived for each of the investigated placements by linear regression using the treadmill part. Performance of the cut-points was assessed by applying the cut-points to the everyday activities. We provide cut-points for six placements and two accelerometer metrics in the specific age group. However, the derived cut-points did not outperform published ones. More research and innovative approaches are needed for improving internal and external validity of research results across populations and age groups.

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 731-739
Author(s):  
Eric J. Evans ◽  
Keith E. Naugle ◽  
Tyler Owen ◽  
Kelly M. Naugle

Whether active gaming is an appropriate method to facilitate moderate-intensity physical activity in older adults remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intensity of physical activity and enjoyment while playing three active video games in older adults compared with younger adults. Ten younger and 10 older adults played three active games on separate days. Participants played two 15-min periods per game: one period at a self-selected intensity and one period with structured instructions to maximize the movement. Physical activity intensity and enjoyment were measured during gameplay. The results indicated that older adults played games at significantly higher intensities (5.3 + 1.8 vs. 3.6 + 1.8 metabolic equivalents), spent less time in whole-body sedentary activity, and rated games more enjoyable compared with younger adults. With physical activity intensity being consistent with moderate-to-vigorous intensity for older adults during gameplay, the results suggest that active video games could be used as a cardiovascular tool for older adults.


Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (15) ◽  
pp. 3377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Arvidsson ◽  
Jonatan Fridolfsson ◽  
Christoph Buck ◽  
Örjan Ekblom ◽  
Elin Ekblom-Bak ◽  
...  

Accelerometer calibration for physical activity (PA) intensity is commonly performed using Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) as criterion. However, MET is not an age-equivalent measure of PA intensity, which limits the use of MET-calibrated accelerometers for age-related PA investigations. We investigated calibration using VO2net (VO2gross − VO2stand; mL⋅min−1⋅kg−1) as criterion compared to MET (VO2gross/VO2rest) and the effect on assessment of free-living PA in children, adolescents and adults. Oxygen consumption and hip/thigh accelerometer data were collected during rest, stand and treadmill walk and run. Equivalent speed (Speedeq) was used as indicator of the absolute speed (Speedabs) performed with the same effort in individuals of different body size/age. The results showed that VO2net was higher in younger age-groups for Speedabs, but was similar in the three age-groups for Speedeq. MET was lower in younger age-groups for both Speedabs and Speedeq. The same VO2net-values respective MET-values were applied to all age-groups to develop accelerometer PA intensity cut-points. Free-living moderate-and-vigorous PA was 216, 115, 74 and 71 min/d in children, adolescents, younger and older adults with VO2net-calibration, but 140, 83, 74 and 41 min/d with MET-calibration, respectively. In conclusion, VO2net calibration of accelerometers may provide age-equivalent measures of PA intensity/effort for more accurate age-related investigations of PA in epidemiological research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Fraysse ◽  
Dannielle Post ◽  
Roger Eston ◽  
Daiki Kasai ◽  
Alex V. Rowlands ◽  
...  

Purpose: This study aims to (1) establish GENEActiv intensity cutpoints in older adults and (2) compare the classification accuracy between dominant (D) or non-dominant (ND) wrist, using both laboratory and free-living data.Methods: Thirty-one older adults participated in the study. They wore a GENEActiv Original on each wrist and performed nine activities of daily living. A portable gas analyzer was used to measure energy expenditure for each task. Testing was performed on two occasions separated by at least 8 days. Some of the same participants (n = 13) also wore one device on each wrist during 3 days of free-living. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to establish the optimal cutpoints.Results: For sedentary time, both dominant and non-dominant wrist had excellent classification accuracy (sensitivity 0.99 and 0.97, respectively; specificity 0.91 and 0.86, respectively). For Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA), the non-dominant wrist device had better accuracy (ND sensitivity: 0.90, specificity 0.79; D sensitivity: 0.90, specificity 0.64). The corresponding cutpoints for sedentary-to-light were 255 and 375 g · min (epoch independent: 42.5 and 62.5 mg), and those for the light-to-moderate were 588 and 555 g · min (epoch-independent: 98.0 and 92.5 mg) for the non-dominant and dominant wrist, respectively. For free-living data, the dominant wrist device resulted in significantly more sedentary time and significantly less light and MVPA time compared to the non-dominant wrist.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 703-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Frost ◽  
Michael Weinborn ◽  
Gilles E. Gignac ◽  
Shaun Markovic ◽  
Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith ◽  
...  

Objectives: To examine the associations between physical activity duration and intensity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and executive function in older adults. Methods: Data from 99 cognitively normal adults (age = 69.10 ± 5.1 years; n = 54 females) were used in the current study. Physical activity (intensity and duration) was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and fitness was measured by analysis of maximal aerobic capacity, VO2peak. Executive function was measured comprehensively, including measures of Shifting, Updating, Inhibition, Generativity, and Nonverbal Reasoning. Results: Higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with better performance on Generativity (B = .55; 95% confidence interval [.15, .97]). No significant associations were found between self-reported physical activity intensity/duration and executive functions. Discussion: To our knowledge, this study is the first to identify an association between fitness and Generativity. Associations between physical activity duration and intensity and executive function requires further study, using objective physical activity measures and longitudinal observations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana A. Moldovan ◽  
Alexa Bragg ◽  
Anna Nidhiry ◽  
Barbara A. De La Cruz ◽  
Suzanne E. Mitchell

BACKGROUND Incorporating physical activity in lifestyle routines is recommended for individuals living with type 2 diabetes. Accelerometer devices offer a promising alternative to self-report methods for measuring physical activity performance. However, the extant literature for accelerometer-measured physical activity among middle-aged/older adults with chronic conditions is lacking. OBJECTIVE We conducted a comprehensive scoping review of the literature to capture accelerometry methodologies in older adults with type 2 diabetes, specifically in relation to cutpoints that classify physical activity into intensity categories (sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous, very vigorous). METHODS Applying the Joanna Briggs Institute’s methodology, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Engineering Village to identify studies that used research-grade accelerometers to objectively measure physical activity intensity levels of adults with type 2 diabetes using cutpoints in participant samples of mean age 50 years and older. RESULTS We identified 46 studies that met our inclusion criteria. The ActiGraph was the most popular accelerometer among researchers, and the Freedson (1998) and Troiano (2008) cutpoints were favored the most. The Lopes (2009) cutpoints were developed by calibrating the ActiGraph accelerometer in middle-aged and older adults with overweight/ obesity and type 2 diabetes. Several studies noted limitations of accelerometry use that could lead to an underestimation or inaccurate representation of physical activity for our population of interest. Limitations included decreased accuracy due to variation in device placement and underestimation of activity intensity attributed to using cutpoints in older adults with lower fitness levels that were originally validated with younger adults. CONCLUSIONS Considering the high variability among accelerometry methodologies, more work needs to be done to understand activity intensity cut-offs for populations with a high burden of chronic disease, older age, and suboptimal physical functioning.


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