Assessment of physical activity
“Those who believe that they have no time for physical activity must sooner or later set aside time for illness” (Dr Edward Stanley, 1826-1893)
Low physical activity is an important risk factor for most diseases of our time, such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, diabetes, cancer, depression and mental illnesses. Objective monitoring and evaluation of physical activity therefore adds an important dimension to many questions in the clinical and research setting.
Accelerometers is a method that provides information about the total volume of physical activity (e.g. number of steps) and also more detailed information about the activity pattern; such as time or bouts spent in different intensity levels (e.g. sedentary time moderate activity). The measurement usually takes place for 7 consecutive days in order to achieve a robust measure of a person's physical activity.
uMOVE offers the following accelerometer systems for measuring physical activity:
We offer our customers these accelerometer systems on a rental basis, as well as education and consultations regarding software, data collection and management.
Actigraph GT3X+
Actigraph GT3X+ is a 3-axis accelerometer which could be worn on several body locations (e.g. wrist, waist and ankle) to evaluate total volume of physical activity and time spent in different intensity levels, such as sedentary behavior and moderate activity. Actigraph GT3X+ could also be integrated with heart rate monitoring in order to provide additional insights into the intensity of activity.
To provide additional insights into the intensity of activity, activity data could also be integrated with heart rate monitoring. Read more about Actigraph
ActivPAL
The ActivPAL is a thigh worn accelerometer which is recommended for measurement of time spent in different body positions (lying/seated, standing and walking) and number of sit-to-stand transitions performed on a daily basis. ActivPAL also measures the number of steps and stepping rate (cadence) as a proxy for intensity of the activity performed.