Applications of Wearable Technology in a Real-Life Setting in People with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Scoping Review

With the growing number of people affected by osteoarthritis, wearable technology may enable the provision of care outside a traditional clinical setting and thus transform how healthcare is delivered for this patient group. Here, we mapped the available empirical evidence on the utilization of wearable technology in a real-world setting in people with knee osteoarthritis. From an analysis of 68 studies, we found that the use of accelerometers for physical activity assessment is the most prevalent mode of use of wearable technology in this population. We identify low technical complexity and cost, ability to connect with a healthcare professional, and consistency in the analysis of the data as the most critical facilitators for the feasibility of using wearable technology in a real-world setting. To fully realize the clinical potential of wearable technology for people with knee osteoarthritis, this review highlights the need for more research employing wearables for information sharing and treatment, increased inter-study consistency through standardization and improved reporting, and increased representation of vulnerable populations.

Development and Psychometrics of a Theory-Based Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire for the Pregnant Women (PA2Q-PW)

Backgrounds & Aims: There is evidence that physical activity plays an essential role in preventing pregnancy-related diseases. This study aimed to develop and design a theory-based physical activity assessment questionnaire for pregnant women (PA2Q-PW). Methods: The PEN-3 cultural model provided the theoretical foundations for the four subscales of our designed instrument; knowledge, attitude, nurture, and enabling. The primary questionnaire was designed with 41 items, and the questionnaire was modified according to the experts' reviews. At last, a group of 400 pregnant women participated in a study to calculate the psychometrics of the tool. Results: The highest score was seen in the knowledge subscale of PA2Q-PW, and the value of Cronbach's alpha for the subscales was from 0.89 to 0.97, and the value of ICC was from 0.76 to 0.89. The correlation (CVI & CVR indices) between the experts was satisfactory in all items of PA2Q-PW. The minimum loading factor for varimax rotation in the knowledge subscale was 0.41; the attitude was 0.56, nurtures were 0.38, and enabling was 0.27. Conclusion: PA2Q-PW is the first standard tool based on the PEN-3 cultural model that researchers can utilize to gather data and conduct the desired education interventions to change physical activity behavior in pregnant women during pregnancy.

An Evaluation into the Physical Activities of Housewives at Different Educational Level (Case of Amasya)

The main premise of this paper is to examine the physical activities of housewives at different educational level in the center of Amasya Province. A total of 340 volunter housewives from different socioeconomic status were randomly recruited. We collected the data through the Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire (PAAQ). We employed descriptive statistics, including mean, standart deviation, minimum and maximum values, frequencies and percentages regarding physical qualities and activities. We performed the a Pearson Correlation Analysis to evaluate the relationships between physical qualities and activities. Based on the statistics, the distribution of the weekly activities of the participants are as follows: 44.4% of housewives walking, 8.8% jogging, 80.0% housework, 51.8% shopping, 52.4% climbing up stairs (40 steps or less). 2.4% doing step-aerobic activities, 24.1% babysitting, 2.6% using a computer and 52.2% watching television. Further, we found that as the education level of housewives increased, their use of cars and reaching a destination on foot increased (p < 0.05, p < 0.01); that BMI levels decreased significantly (p < 0.01) with the increase in education levels, working days and on foot transportation, and BMI levels increased (p < 0.01) with the increase in passive recovery times. In conclusion, it can be suggested that housewives in Amasya have some levels of physical activities to some extent, but these activities are mostly walking, shopping, babysitting and doing households.

May the brief physical activity assessment tool accurately measure physical activity in patients with resistant hypertension?

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): FEDER Funds through the Operational Competitiveness Factors Program—COMPETE National Funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) “PTDC/DTP-DES/1725/2014”. SL is a PhD fellow supported by the FCT (Grant Ref: SFRH/BD/129454/2017). Introduction Resistant hypertension is a major health problem due to the increased risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. Physical activity and exercise reduces blood pressure in resistant hypertension and is associated with lower cardiovascular risk and mortality. It is presently recommended that physical activity assessment should be a priority in all visits to health settings Purpose This study aims to determine if the Brief Physical Activity Assessment Tool (BPAAT), a 2-question tool to assess physical activity, is a valid instrument to detect inactive patients with resistant hypertension. Methods Sixty patients with a diagnosis of resistant hypertension were recruited. Outcome measures included clinical data, blood pressure and daily physical activity. Physical activity was objectively measured over a 7-day period with an accelerometer and subjectively assessed (self-assessment) by the BPAAT. The association between the BPAAT and accelerometry, according to the BPAAT scoring categories, was assessed bythe percentage of agreement, Cohen’s Kappa and sensitivity and specificity. Results Patients (33 were male) had a mean age of 59.4 ± 9.1years, were on average overweight (BMI 29.5 ± 4.5 kg/m2) and on an average of 4.5 ± 0.7 antihypertensive medications. Forty-two patients (70%) were classified as insufficiently active by the BPAAT compared to the 38 (63.3%) insufficiently active patients identified by the accelerometry data. Regarding the questionnaire’s specificity and sensitivity, the BPAAT correctly identified 32 [84.2 (73.1 – 95.3) %] of the 38 ‘insufficiently active’ patients and 12 [54.5 (34.3 – 74.7) %] of the 22 ‘sufficiently active’ patients identified by accelerometry. The agreement between BPAAT and accelerometry to identify sufficiently/insufficiently active patients, according to the BPAAT’s cut-off values was fair to moderate (Kappa = 0.403 (0.162 – 0.674), with a percentage of agreement of 73.3%. Conclusion The BPAAT, a 2-question tool to assess physical activity, seems to be a valid and fast solution to identify insufficiently active adults with resistant hypertension during routine clinical visits.

Physical activity assessment and quality of life in nursing

Objetivo: avaliar o nível de atividade física, índice de massa corporal e a qualidade de vida dos acadêmicos de enfermagem e enfermeiros do Rio Grande do Sul. Método: trata-se de um estudo transversal, com aplicação de questionários digitais de anamnese e para levantamento do nível de atividade física, pelo International Physical Activity Questionnaire, e da qualidade de vida, por meio do Short Form-36. Os dados foram coletados e analisados pelos softwares SurveyMonkey e SPSS (teste de Mann-Whitney e qui-quadrado). Resultados: os resultados do questionário de atividade física mostraram que um total de 22 (25%) indivíduos apresentava nível de atividade física insuficiente, 33 (37%) eram suficientemente ativos e 34 (38%) muito ativos. O índice de massa corporal dos enfermeiros e acadêmicos apresentou uma média de 24,7 (22-29) kg/m². Avaliando a qualidade de vida segundo os domínios do questionário, observou-se que os enfermeiros e acadêmicos apresentam alta capacidade funcional (90% do máximo), porém os demais domínios da qualidade de vida apresentam-se com valores abaixo de 75% do máximo possível. Conclusão: a maioria dos enfermeiros e acadêmicos possuem níveis satisfatórios de atividade física, índice de massa corporal dentro dos parâmetros recomendados e qualidade de vida parcialmente adequada.