A systematic literature review of reviews on techniques for physical activity measurement in adults: a DEDIPAC study

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Abstract

The links between increased participation in Physical Activity (PA) and improvements in health are well established. As this body of evidence has grown, so too has the search for measures of PA with high levels of methodological effectiveness (i.e. validity, reliability and responsiveness to change). The aim of this “review of reviews” was to provide a comprehensive overview of the methodological effectiveness of currently employed measures of PA, to aid researchers in their selection of an appropriate tool. A total of 63 review articles were included in this review, and the original articles cited by these reviews were included in order to extract detailed information on methodological effectiveness.

Self-report measures of PA have been most frequently examined for methodological effectiveness, with highly variable findings identified across a broad range of behaviours. The evidence-base for the methodological effectiveness of objective monitors, particularly accelerometers/activity monitors, is increasing, with lower levels of variability observed for validity and reliability when compared to subjective measures. Unfortunately, responsiveness to change across all measures and behaviours remains under-researched, with limited information available.

Other criteria beyond methodological effectiveness often influence tool selection, including cost and feasibility. However, researchers must be aware of the methodological effectiveness of any measure selected for use when examining PA. Although no “perfect” tool for the examination of PA in adults exists, it is suggested that researchers aim to incorporate appropriate objective measures, specific to the behaviours of interests, when examining PA in free-living environments.

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Most cited references 406

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Physical Activity and Public Health: Updated Recommendation for Adults From the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association

William Haskell, I-Min Lee, Russell R. Pate … (2007)

In 1995 the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published national guidelines on Physical Activity and Public Health. The Committee on Exercise and Cardiac Rehabilitation of the American Heart Association endorsed and supported these recommendations. The purpose of the present report is to update and clarify the 1995 recommendations on the types and amounts of physical activity needed by healthy adults to improve and maintain health. Development of this document was by an expert panel of scientists, including physicians, epidemiologists, exercise scientists, and public health specialists. This panel reviewed advances in pertinent physiologic, epidemiologic, and clinical scientific data, including primary research articles and reviews published since the original recommendation was issued in 1995. Issues considered by the panel included new scientific evidence relating physical activity to health, physical activity recommendations by various organizations in the interim, and communications issues. Key points related to updating the physical activity recommendation were outlined and writing groups were formed. A draft manuscript was prepared and circulated for review to the expert panel as well as to outside experts. Comments were integrated into the final recommendation. To promote and maintain health, all healthy adults aged 18 to 65 yr need moderate-intensity aerobic (endurance) physical activity for a minimum of 30 min on five days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 20 min on three days each week. [I (A)] Combinations of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity can be performed to meet this recommendation. [IIa (B)] For example, a person can meet the recommendation by walking briskly for 30 min twice during the week and then jogging for 20 min on two other days. Moderate-intensity aerobic activity, which is generally equivalent to a brisk walk and noticeably accelerates the heart rate, can be accumulated toward the 30-min minimum by performing bouts each lasting 10 or more minutes. [I (B)] Vigorous-intensity activity is exemplified by jogging, and causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate. In addition, every adult should perform activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance a minimum of two days each week. [IIa (A)] Because of the dose-response relation between physical activity and health, persons who wish to further improve their personal fitness, reduce their risk for chronic diseases and disabilities or prevent unhealthy weight gain may benefit by exceeding the minimum recommended amounts of physical activity. [I (A)]

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Limits to the measurement of habitual physical activity by questionnaires.

R J Shephard (2003)

Despite extensive use over 40 years, physical activity questionnaires still show limited reliability and validity. Measurements have value in indicating conditions where an increase in physical activity would be beneficial and in monitoring changes in population activity. However, attempts at detailed interpretation in terms of exercise dosage and the extent of resulting health benefits seem premature. Such usage may become possible through the development of standardised instruments that will record the low intensity activities typical of sedentary societies, and will ascribe consistent biological meaning to terms such as light, moderate, and heavy exercise.

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Validity and repeatability of a simple index derived from the short physical activity questionnaire used in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.

Nicholas J. Wareham, Rupert W. Jakes, Kirsten L Rennie … (2003)

To assess the validity and repeatability of a simple index designed to rank participants according to their energy expenditure estimated by self-report, by comparison with objectively measured energy expenditure assessed by heart-rate monitoring with individual calibration. Energy expenditure was assessed over one year by four separate episodes of 4-day heart-rate monitoring, a method previously validated against whole-body calorimetry and doubly labelled water. Cardio-respiratory fitness was assessed by four repeated measures of sub-maximum oxygen uptake. At the end of the 12-month period, participants completed a physical activity questionnaire that assessed past-year activity. A simple four-level physical activity index was derived by combining occupational physical activity together with time participating in cycling and other physical exercise (such as keep fit, aerobics, swimming and jogging). One hundred and seventy-three randomly selected men and women aged 40 to 65 years. The repeatability of the physical activity index was high (weighted kappa=0.6, ). There were positive associations between the physical activity index from the questionnaire and the objective measures of the ratio of daytime energy expenditure to resting metabolic rate and cardio-respiratory fitness As an indirect test of validity, there was a positive association between the physical activity index and the ratio of energy intake, assessed by 7-day food diaries, to predicted basal metabolic rate. The summary index of physical activity derived from the questions used in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study suggest it is useful for ranking participants in terms of their physical activity in large epidemiological studies. The index is simple and easy to comprehend, which may make it suitable for situations that require a concise, global index of activity.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Kieran P. Dowd: kdowd@ait.ie

Robert Szeklicki: szeklicki@awf.poznan.pl

Marco Alessandro Minetto: marco.minetto@unito.it

Marie H. Murphy: mh.murphy@ulster.ac.uk

Angela Polito: angela.polito@crea.gov.it

Ezio Ghigo: ezio.ghigo@unito.it

Hidde van der Ploeg: hp.vanderploeg@vumc.nl

Ulf Ekelund: ulf.ekelund@nih.no

Janusz Maciaszek: jmaciaszek@awf.poznan.pl

Rafal Stemplewski: stemplewski@awf.poznan.pl

Maciej Tomczak: maciejtomczak5@gmail.com

Alan E. Donnelly:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6874-0991

(+35361) 202808 , alan.donnelly@ul.ie

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

Title: The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Electronic): 1479-5868

Publication date (Electronic): 8 February 2018

Publication date PMC-release: 8 February 2018

Publication date Collection: 2018

Volume: 15

Electronic Location Identifier: 15

Affiliations

[1 ]ISNI 0000 0001 0684 6355, GRID grid.418154.d, Department of Sport and Health Science, , Athlone Institute of Technology, ; Athlone, Ireland

[2 ]ISNI 0000 0001 0791 2473, GRID grid.445295.b, University School of Physical Education in Poznan, ; Poznan, Poland

[3 ]ISNI 0000 0001 2336 6580, GRID grid.7605.4, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, , University of Turin, ; Corso Dogliotti 14, 10126 Torino, Italy

[4 ]ISNI 0000000105519715, GRID grid.12641.30, School of Health Science, , University of Ulster, ; Newtownabbey, UK

[5 ]GRID grid.419415.c, National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research, ; Rome, Italy

[6 ]ISNI 0000 0001 0686 3219, GRID grid.466632.3, Department of Public and Occupational Health, , VU University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, ; Amsterdam, The Netherlands

[7 ]ISNI 0000 0004 1936 834X, GRID grid.1013.3, Sydney School of Public Health, , University of Sydney, ; Sydney, Australia

[8 ]ISNI 0000000121885934, GRID grid.5335.0, Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, , University of Cambridge, ; Cambridge, UK

[9 ]ISNI 0000 0000 8567 2092, GRID grid.412285.8, The Department of Sport Medicine, , Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, ; Oslo, Norway

[10 ]ISNI 0000 0004 1936 9692, GRID grid.10049.3c, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Health Research Institute, , University of Limerick, ; Limerick, Ireland

Author information

Alan E. Donnelly http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6874-0991

Article

Publisher ID: 636

DOI: 10.1186/s12966-017-0636-2

PMC ID: 5806271

PubMed ID: 29422051

SO-VID: e0ded818-94f0-4f7c-8545-602f841d2173

License:

Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

History

Date received : 28 June 2017

Date accepted : 18 December 2017

Funding

Funded by: Health Research Board (IE)

Custom metadata

ScienceOpen disciplines: Nutrition & Dietetics

Keywords: physical activity,measurement,assessment,accelerometry,questionnaires,self-report,motion sensors,pedometers,heart rate monitors,adults

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Nutrition & Dietetics

Keywords: physical activity, measurement, assessment, accelerometry, questionnaires, self-report, motion sensors, pedometers, heart rate monitors, adults

A systematic literature review of reviews on techniques for physical activity measurement in adults: a DEDIPAC study

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Karger: Nutrition and Dietetics

Most cited references 406

Physical Activity and Public Health: Updated Recommendation for Adults From the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association

Limits to the measurement of habitual physical activity by questionnaires.

Validity and repeatability of a simple index derived from the short physical activity questionnaire used in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.

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