Wear-time Compliance with a Dual-accelerometer System for Capturing 24-h Behavioural Profiles in Children and Adults

Date
2018-07-01
Authors
Duncan, S
Stewart, T
Mackay, L
Neville, J
Narayanan, A
Walker, C
Berry, S
Morton, S
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract

To advance the field of time-use epidemiology, a tool capable of monitoring 24 h movement behaviours including sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour is needed. This study explores compliance with a novel dual-accelerometer system for capturing 24 h movement patterns in two free-living samples of children and adults. A total of 103 children aged 8 years and 83 adults aged 20-60 years were recruited. Using a combination of medical dressing and purpose-built foam pouches, participants were fitted with two Axivity AX3 accelerometers—one to the thigh and the other to the lower back—for seven 24 h periods. AX3 accelerometers contain an inbuilt skin temperature sensor that facilitates wear time estimation. The median (IQR) wear time in children was 160 (67) h and 165 (79) h (out of a maximum of 168 h) for back and thigh placement, respectively. Wear time was significantly higher and less variable in adults, with a median (IQR) for back and thigh placement of 168 (1) and 168 (0) h. A greater proportion of adults (71.6%) achieved the maximum number of complete days when compared to children (41.7%). We conclude that a dual-accelerometer protocol using skin attachment methods holds considerable promise for monitoring 24-h movement behaviours in both children and adults.

Description
Keywords
Physical activity; Sedentary behaviour; Measurement; Accelerometry; Motion sensors; Time-use epidemiology
Source
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15(7):1296.
Rights statement
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).