Assessment of physical activity in youth.

Despite much progress with physical activity assessment, the limitations concerning the accurate measurement of physical activity are often amplified in young people due to the cognitive, physiological, and biomechanical changes that occur during natural growth as well as a more intermittent pattern of habitual physical activity in youth compared with adults. This mini-review describes and compares methods to assess habitual physical activity in youth and discusses main issues regarding the use and interpretation of data collected with these techniques. Self-report instruments and movement sensing are currently the most frequently used methods for the assessment of physical activity in epidemiological research; others include heart rate monitoring and multisensor systems. Habitual energy expenditure can be estimated from these input measures with varying degree of uncertainty. Nonlinear modeling techniques, using accelerometry perhaps in combination with physiological parameters like heart rate or temperature, have the greatest potential for increasing the prediction accuracy of habitual physical activity energy expenditure. Although multisensor systems may be more accurate, this must be balanced against feasibility, a balance that shifts with technological and scientific advances and should be considered at the beginning of every new study.

[1]  L. Andersen,et al.  Sources of variation in habitual physical activity of children and adolescents: the European youth heart study , 2008, Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports.

[2]  D. Bassett,et al.  Accuracy of the Actiheart for the assessment of energy expenditure in adults , 2008, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

[3]  D. Gentile,et al.  Evaluation of youth pedometer-determined physical activity guidelines using receiver operator characteristic curves. , 2008, Preventive medicine.

[4]  Oliver Stegle,et al.  Gaussian Process Robust Regression for Noisy Heart Rate Data , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[5]  I. Zakeri,et al.  Application of cross-sectional time series modeling for the prediction of energy expenditure from heart rate and accelerometry. , 2008, Journal of applied physiology.

[6]  Kathleen F Janz,et al.  Measuring activity in children and adolescents using self-report: PAQ-C and PAQ-A. , 2008, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[7]  S. Grant,et al.  Objective measurement of physical activity and sedentary behaviour: review with new data , 2008, Archives of Disease in Childhood.

[8]  Matthew S. Goodwin,et al.  Telemetric monitoring in the behavior sciences , 2008, Behavior research methods.

[9]  L B Sardinha,et al.  Comparison of equations for predicting energy expenditure from accelerometer counts in children , 2008, Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports.

[10]  G. Schofield,et al.  Pedometer-determined physical activity and active transport in girls , 2008, The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity.

[11]  L. Andersen,et al.  Tracking of objectively measured physical activity from childhood to adolescence: The European youth heart study , 2007, Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports.

[12]  N. Wareham,et al.  Use of accelerometers in a large field-based study of children: protocols, design issues, and effects on precision. , 2008, Journal of physical activity & health.

[13]  Ilkka Korhonen,et al.  Detection of Daily Activities and Sports With Wearable Sensors in Controlled and Uncontrolled Conditions , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine.

[14]  Edward Grant,et al.  Nonwoven Fabric Active Electrodes for Biopotential Measurement During Normal Daily Activity , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[15]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Comparison of two methods to assess PAEE during six activities in children. , 2007, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[16]  S. Blair,et al.  Calibration of an accelerometer during free-living activities in children. , 2007, International journal of pediatric obesity : IJPO : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

[17]  Jindong Tan,et al.  Real-time Daily Activity Classification with Wireless Sensor Networks using Hidden Markov Model , 2007, 2007 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[18]  H. Nieminen,et al.  Estimating Intensity of Physical Activity: A Comparison of Wearable Accelerometer and Gyro Sensors and 3 Sensor Locations , 2007, 2007 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[19]  Kong Y Chen,et al.  An artificial neural network model of energy expenditure using nonintegrated acceleration signals. , 2007, Journal of applied physiology.

[20]  Jeen-Shing Wang,et al.  Activity Recognition Using One Triaxial Accelerometer: A Neuro-fuzzy Classifier with Feature Reduction , 2007, ICEC.

[21]  Ann V Rowlands,et al.  The Measurement and Interpretation of Children's Physical Activity. , 2007, Journal of sports science & medicine.

[22]  A. Rowlands Accelerometer assessment of physical activity in children: an update. , 2007, Pediatric exercise science.

[23]  Karsten Froberg,et al.  Hierarchy of individual calibration levels for heart rate and accelerometry to measure physical activity. , 2007, Journal of applied physiology.

[24]  Chris Roberts,et al.  Trends in vigorous physical activity and TV watching of adolescents from 1986 to 2002 in seven European Countries. , 2007, European journal of public health.

[25]  R. Eston,et al.  Influence of speed and step frequency during walking and running on motion sensor output. , 2007, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[26]  Gregory J Welk,et al.  Reliability and validity of questions on the youth media campaign longitudinal survey. , 2007, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[27]  S. Blair,et al.  Intraindividual variation of objectively measured physical activity in children. , 2007, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[28]  P. Freedson,et al.  The Association Between an Objective Measure of Physical Activity and Weight Status in Preschoolers , 2007, Obesity.

[29]  Terry E. Duncan,et al.  International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Reliability of Pedometer Data in Samples of Youth and Older Women , 2022 .

[30]  S. Berthoin,et al.  Improving physical activity assessment in prepubertal children with high-frequency accelerometry monitoring: a methodological issue. , 2007, Preventive medicine.

[31]  Matthias Rauterberg,et al.  Entertainment Computing – ICEC 2007 , 2007, Lecture Notes in Computer Science.

[32]  S. Grant,et al.  Monitoring of Physical Activity in Young Children: How Much Is Enough? , 2006, Pediatric exercise science.

[33]  J. Staudenmayer,et al.  Development of novel techniques to classify physical activity mode using accelerometers. , 2006, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[34]  Grant Schofield,et al.  Pedometer-determined physical activity and body composition in New Zealand children. , 2006, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[35]  W. van Mechelen,et al.  Clinimetric review of motion sensors in children and adolescents. , 2006, Journal of clinical epidemiology.

[36]  Christian Vilhelm,et al.  Moderate‐to‐Vigorous Physical Activity among Children: Discrepancies in Accelerometry‐Based Cut‐off Points , 2006, Obesity.

[37]  R. Pangrazi,et al.  Measuring Children's Activity Levels: The Association Between Step-Counts and Activity Time. , 2006, Journal of physical activity & health.

[38]  Keith Stokes,et al.  Assessment of low-to-moderate intensity physical activity thermogenesis in young adults using synchronized heart rate and accelerometry with branched-equation modeling. , 2006, The Journal of nutrition.

[39]  Scott E Crouter,et al.  A novel method for using accelerometer data to predict energy expenditure. , 2006, Journal of applied physiology.

[40]  A. Trichopoulou,et al.  Methodology of physical-activity and energy-expenditure assessment: a review , 2006, Journal of Public Health.

[41]  Duncan J Macfarlane,et al.  Convergent validity of six methods to assess physical activity in daily life. , 2004, Journal of applied physiology.

[42]  Johannes Peltola,et al.  Activity classification using realistic data from wearable sensors , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine.

[43]  D. Bassett,et al.  The technology of accelerometry-based activity monitors: current and future. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[44]  Song Yang,et al.  Imputation of missing data when measuring physical activity by accelerometry. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[45]  Patty Freedson,et al.  Calibration of accelerometer output for children. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[46]  Stewart G Trost,et al.  Conducting accelerometer-based activity assessments in field-based research. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[47]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Comparison of PAEE from combined and separate heart rate and movement models in children. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[48]  Enzo Pasquale Scilingo,et al.  Performance evaluation of sensing fabrics for monitoring physiological and biomechanical variables , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine.

[49]  B. A. Smith,et al.  Comparison of methods to estimate physical activity and energy expenditure in African American children. , 2005, International journal of sports medicine.

[50]  Edward M. Winter,et al.  JUMPING: POWER OR IMPULSE? , 2005 .

[51]  Michael W. Beets,et al.  The accuracy of pedometer steps and time during walking in children. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[52]  D. Arvidsson,et al.  Physical activity questionnaire for adolescents validated against doubly labelled water , 2005, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

[53]  Shrikant I Bangdiwala,et al.  Energy costs of physical activities in children and adolescents. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[54]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Associations between objectively assessed physical activity and indicators of body fatness in 9- to 10-y-old European children: a population-based study from 4 distinct regions in Europe (the European Youth Heart Study). , 2004, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[55]  Issa Zakeri,et al.  Prediction of activity energy expenditure using accelerometers in children. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[56]  Charlie Potter,et al.  Comparison of activity monitors to estimate energy cost of treadmill exercise. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[57]  Margaret L Fruin,et al.  Validity of a multi-sensor armband in estimating rest and exercise energy expenditure. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[58]  M. Marcus,et al.  Evaluation of the SenseWear Pro Armband to assess energy expenditure during exercise. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[59]  Michael Sjöström,et al.  Body movement and physical activity energy expenditure in children and adolescents: how to adjust for differences in body size and age. , 2004, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[60]  Kuan Zhang,et al.  Improving energy expenditure estimation for physical activity. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[61]  Ling Bao,et al.  Activity Recognition from User-Annotated Acceleration Data , 2004, Pervasive.

[62]  S. Daniels,et al.  Parental report of outdoor playtime as a measure of physical activity in preschool-aged children. , 2004, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[63]  Merryn J Mathie,et al.  Accelerometry: providing an integrated, practical method for long-term, ambulatory monitoring of human movement , 2004, Physiological measurement.

[64]  Philip J Peyton,et al.  A new method for measurement of gas exchange during anaesthesia using an extractable marker gas. , 2004, Physiological measurement.

[65]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Branched equation modeling of simultaneous accelerometry and heart rate monitoring improves estimate of directly measured physical activity energy expenditure. , 2004, Journal of applied physiology.

[66]  Catrine Tudor-Locke,et al.  Utility of Pedometers for Assessing Physical Activity , 2004, Sports medicine.

[67]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Physical activity levels and patterns of 9- and 15-yr-old European children. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[68]  G E Dallal,et al.  Energy cost of physical activities in 12-y-old girls: MET values and the influence of body weight , 2003, International Journal of Obesity.

[69]  D. Arvidsson,et al.  Minnesota leisure time activity questionnaire and doubly labeled water in adolescents. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[70]  S. Grant,et al.  An objective method for measurement of sedentary behavior in 3- to 4-year olds. , 2003, Obesity research.

[71]  Scott E Crouter,et al.  Accuracy and reliability of 10 pedometers for measuring steps over a 400-m walk. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[72]  Karsten Froberg,et al.  Influence of Step Frequency on Movement Intensity Predictions with the CSA Accelerometer: A Field Validation Study in Children , 2003 .

[73]  Marsha Dowda,et al.  Validation of a 3-Day Physical Activity Recall Instrument in Female Youth , 2003 .

[74]  Scott E Crouter,et al.  Validity of 10 electronic pedometers for measuring steps, distance, and energy cost. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[75]  Karsten Froberg,et al.  Reexamination of validity and reliability of the CSA monitor in walking and running. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[76]  Uwe Hansmann,et al.  Pervasive Computing , 2003 .

[77]  D. Jacobs,et al.  Validity and reliability of activity measures in African-American girls for GEMS. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[78]  Kuan Zhang,et al.  Measurement of human daily physical activity. , 2003, Obesity research.

[79]  Susan D. Vincent,et al.  An Examination of the Activity Patterns of Elementary School Children , 2002 .

[80]  L Michaud,et al.  Comparison of the TriTrac-R3D accelerometer and a self-report activity diary with heart-rate monitoring for the assessment of energy expenditure in children. , 2002, The British journal of nutrition.

[81]  C. Tudor-Locke Taking Steps toward Increased Physical Activity: Using Pedometers To Measure and Motivate. , 2002 .

[82]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Physical activity but not energy expenditure is reduced in obese adolescents: a case-control study. , 2002, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[83]  M. Puyau,et al.  Validation and calibration of physical activity monitors in children. , 2002, Obesity research.

[84]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Assessing Physical Activity Among Children With Accelerometers Using Different Time Sampling Intervals and Placements , 2002 .

[85]  Susan D. Vincent,et al.  Does Reactivity Exist in Children When Measuring Activity Levels with Pedometers , 2002 .

[86]  D. Neumark-Sztainer,et al.  Correlates of Time Spent in Physical Activity and Television Viewing in a Multi-Racial Sample of Adolescents , 2002 .

[87]  B Stetd,et al.  TAKING STEPS TOWARD INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: USING PEDOMETERS TO MEASURE AND MOTIVATE , 2002 .

[88]  Catrine Tudor-Locke,et al.  Utility of Pedometers for Assessing Physical Activity , 2002 .

[89]  Catrine Tudor-Locke,et al.  Utility of pedometers for assessing physical activity: convergent validity. , 2002, Sports medicine.

[90]  J. W. Inman,et al.  Preliminary evaluation of a video questionnaire to assess activity levels of children. , 2001, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[91]  N. Armstrong,et al.  Peak oxygen uptake in relation to growth and maturation in 11- to 17–year-old humans , 2001, European Journal of Applied Physiology.

[92]  L. Epstein,et al.  How much activity do youth get? A quantitative review of heart-rate measured activity. , 2001, Pediatrics.

[93]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Physical activity in relation to aerobic fitness and body fat in 14- to 15-year-old boys and girls , 2001, European Journal of Applied Physiology.

[94]  C. Cooper,et al.  Exercise in chronic pulmonary disease: aerobic exercise prescription. , 2001, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[95]  J M Pivarnik,et al.  Stability and convergent validity of three physical activity assessments. , 2001, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[96]  G. Cavagna,et al.  Mechanical power and efficiency in running children , 2001, Pflügers Archiv.

[97]  R. Pate,et al.  Physical Activity Assessment in Children and Adolescents , 2001, Sports medicine.

[98]  H C Kemper,et al.  Physical activity of young people: the Amsterdam Longitudinal Growth and Health Study. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[99]  J. Sallis Age-related decline in physical activity: a synthesis of human and animal studies. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[100]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  Compendium of physical activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[101]  Janet E. Fulton,et al.  Assessment of Physical Activity among Children and Adolescents: A Review and Synthesis , 2000 .

[102]  P. Robson,et al.  Energy expenditure by heart rate in children: an evaluation of calibration techniques. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[103]  D J Aaron,et al.  Longitudinal changes in physical activity in a biracial cohort during adolescence. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[104]  P. Freedson,et al.  Using objective physical activity measures with youth: how many days of monitoring are needed? , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[105]  W. Mechelen,et al.  Paediatric Exercise Science and Medicine , 2000 .

[106]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Total daily energy expenditure and patterns of physical activity in adolescents assessed by two different methods , 1999, Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports.

[107]  G. Schuler,et al.  Physical activity , 2001, Public Health Nutrition.

[108]  N. Wareham,et al.  The validation of physical activity instruments for measuring energy expenditure: problems and pitfalls , 1998, Public Health Nutrition.

[109]  B. Gower,et al.  Influence of sex, seasonality, ethnicity, and geographic location on the components of total energy expenditure in young children: implications for energy requirements. , 1998, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[110]  R G McMurray,et al.  Comparison of a computerized physical activity recall with a triaxial motion sensor in middle-school youth. , 1998, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[111]  N J Wareham,et al.  The assessment of physical activity in individuals and populations: why try to be more precise about how physical activity is assessed? , 1998, International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

[112]  P A Willems,et al.  The mechanics of running in children , 1998, The Journal of physiology.

[113]  P. D. Watson,et al.  Validity of the computer science and applications (CSA) activity monitor in children. , 1998, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[114]  H. Kohl,et al.  Development of physical activity behaviors among children and adolescents. , 1998, Pediatrics.

[115]  R. Eston,et al.  Validity of heart rate, pedometry, and accelerometry for predicting the energy cost of children's activities. , 1998, Journal of applied physiology.

[116]  T. Barstow,et al.  Spectral and bout detection analysis of physical activity patterns in healthy, prepubertal boys and girls , 1998, American Journal of Human Biology.

[117]  P Oja,et al.  Assessment of energy expenditure in overweight women. , 1998, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[118]  M. Harro,et al.  Validation of a questionnaire to assess physical activity of children ages 4-8 years. , 1997, Research quarterly for exercise and sport.

[119]  P. Crocker,et al.  Convergent Validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents , 1997 .

[120]  R G Eston,et al.  Measurement of Physical Activity in Children with Particular Reference to the Use of Heart Rate and Pedometry , 1997, Sports medicine.

[121]  G Samuelson,et al.  A 7-day activity diary for assessment of daily energy expenditure validated by the doubly labelled water method in adolescents , 1997, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

[122]  P. Crocker,et al.  Validation of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children , 1997 .

[123]  R. Mcmurray Developmental Exercise Physiology , 1996 .

[124]  T. Barstow,et al.  The level and tempo of children's physical activities: an observational study. , 1995, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[125]  C. Boreham,et al.  The Health-Related Physical Activity of Children , 1995, Sports medicine.

[126]  A M Prentice,et al.  Daily energy expenditure in free-living children: comparison of heart-rate monitoring with the doubly labeled water (2H2(18)O) method. , 1992, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[127]  J. Sallis Self-report measures of children's physical activity. , 1991, The Journal of school health.

[128]  J F Sallis,et al.  Bias in Estimating Caloric Expenditure from Physical Activity in Children , 1991, Sports medicine.

[129]  B. Kirby,et al.  Patterns of physical activity among 11 to 16 year old British children. , 1990, BMJ.

[130]  V. Seefeldt,et al.  Age Changes in Motor Skills During Childhood and Adolescence , 1984, Exercise and sport sciences reviews.

[131]  G. Cavagna,et al.  The mechanics of walking in children. , 1983, The Journal of physiology.

[132]  C C Conrad,et al.  The president's council on physical fitness and sports. , 1981, The American journal of sports medicine.

[133]  R. Olshen,et al.  The development of mature gait. , 1980, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[134]  Holliday Ma,et al.  Metabolic rate and organ size during growth from infancy to maturity and during late gastation and early infancy. , 1971, Pediatrics.

[135]  M A Holliday,et al.  Metabolic rate and organ size during growth from infancy to maturity and during late gastation and early infancy. , 1971, Pediatrics.

[136]  R MARGARIA,et al.  A three-directional accelerometer for analyzing body movements. , 1961, Journal of applied physiology.