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Validation of uniaxial and triaxial accelerometers for the assessment of physical activity in preschool children
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Validation of uniaxial and triaxial accelerometers for the assessment of physical activity in preschool children

Anne L Adolph, Maurice R Puyau, Firoz A Vohra, Theresa A Nicklas, Issa F Zakeri and Nancy F Butte
Journal of physical activity & health, v 9(7), pp 944-953
Sep 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.9.7.944
PMID: 22207582
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

Body Mass Index Motor Activity - physiology Accelerometry - instrumentation Humans Child, Preschool Female Male Exercise - physiology Continental Population Groups Energy Metabolism - physiology Body Weights and Measures
Given the unique physical activity (PA) patterns of preschoolers, wearable electronic devices for quantitative assessment of physical activity require validation in this population. Study objective was to validate uniaxial and triaxial accelerometers in preschoolers. Room calorimetry was performed over 3 hours in 64 preschoolers, wearing Actical, Actiheart, and RT3 accelerometers during play, slow, moderate, and fast translocation. Based on activity energy expenditure (AEE) and accelerometer counts, optimal thresholds for PA levels were determined by piecewise linear regression and discrimination boundary analysis. Established HR cutoffs in preschoolers for sedentary/light, light/moderate and moderate/vigorous levels were used to define AEE (0.015, 0.054, 0.076 kcal·kg-1·min-1) and PA ratio (PAR; 1.6, 2.9, 3.6) thresholds, and accelerometer thresholds. True positive predictive rates were 77%, 75%, and 76% for sedentary; 63%, 61%, and 65% for light; 34%, 52%, and 49% for moderate; 46%, 46%, and 49% for vigorous levels. Due to low positive predictive rates, we combined moderate and vigorous PA. Classification accuracy was improved overall and for the combined moderate-to-vigorous PA level (69%, 82%, 79%) for Actical, Actiheart, and RT3, respectively. Uniaxial and triaxial accelerometers are acceptable devices with similar classification accuracy for sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous levels of PA in preschoolers.

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90 citations in Web of Science
94 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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