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Objective Measurement in Physical Activity Surveillance: Present Role and Future Potential

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The Objective Monitoring of Physical Activity: Contributions of Accelerometry to Epidemiology, Exercise Science and Rehabilitation

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health ((SSEH))

Abstract

Measuring physical activity at the population level is the central component of a physical activity surveillance system. These systems are used to monitor trends at the national level, identify sub-groups at risk of low activity, and to assess the long-term impact of policies and public health programs targeting physical activity. Surveillance measures assess physical activity in large samples to provide estimates generalizable to whole populations, and must be used in identical ways over many years. They need to be convenient, affordable and feasible to implement in population-representative samples, with good participants’ adherence to the measurement tasks required. Thus, surveillance measures pose special challenges for objective assessment of physical activity. Objective assessment of physical activity in populations started in the 1980s, with efforts to measure cardiorespiratory fitness and energy expenditure. These measures were costly, placed a substantial burden on participants, and selection effects limited their generalizability. Since around 2000, population objective assessment has been carried out in several countries using motion-sensing accelerometers. These can measure the intensity and duration of most ambulatory activities, walking and running. They produce population prevalence estimates of meeting physical activity guidelines of around 5 % for adults, rates that are much lower than those assessed by self-reports. In addition, simpler pedometers that record step-counts are also used in population studies. When compared to accelerometers, which are influenced by regular changes in device models and cut points, pedometers generally provide more comparable estimates over time. However, their comprehensiveness is limited, as they only assess step counts. Most recently, ‘wearable technology’ has burgeoned, with accelerating growth in the sales of devices such as Fitbits and Jawbone since around 2012. These devices, alongside smart phones and smart watches (that also have accelerometers and other motion sensors built in), provide the potential to reach millions of people. However, the reliability and validity of these devices is not well understood. Further, the models are updated very frequently, which does not influence their usefulness for individuals, but does compromise their potential in population surveillance. The challenge will be to identify affordable technology that is exactly comparable over many years to monitor population physical activity levels.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Sydney University, Sydney, Australia

    Adrian Bauman, Željko Pedišić & Kevin Bragg

  2. Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Footscray, Melbourne, Australia

    Željko Pedišić

  3. Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Željko Pedišić

Authors
  1. Adrian Bauman
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  2. Željko Pedišić
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  3. Kevin Bragg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adrian Bauman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto, Brackendale, British Columbia, Canada

    Roy J. Shephard

  2. Pennington Biomedical Research Cent, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

    Catrine Tudor-Locke

Appendix: Specific References to Wearable Technology

Appendix: Specific References to Wearable Technology

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Bauman, A., Pedišić, Ž., Bragg, K. (2016). Objective Measurement in Physical Activity Surveillance: Present Role and Future Potential. In: Shephard, R., Tudor-Locke, C. (eds) The Objective Monitoring of Physical Activity: Contributions of Accelerometry to Epidemiology, Exercise Science and Rehabilitation. Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29577-0_13

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