Abstract
BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) has acquired a significant relevance due to the health benefits associated with its practice. Accelerometers are an effective tool to assess PA; however, the diversity of cut-off points used to define different PA intensities through accelerometry could interfere in the interpretation of the findings among studies.ObjectivesThe present study aimed to examine the sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) levels in children using six selected accelerometry protocols based on diverse cut-off points.MethodsClinical examination, anthropometric measurements, and PA evaluation by accelerometry were assessed in 543 selected children (10 ± 2.4 years old) from the Spanish GENOBOX study. The ActiLife data scoring program was used to determine daily min spent in SB, and light, moderate, vigorous and moderate-vigorous PA using six validated accelerometry protocols differing in their cut-off points.ResultsVery different estimations for SB and PA intensity levels were found in children, independently of the non-wear-time algorithm selected, and considering puberty stages, age and body mass index. The time spent in daily SB varied from 471 to 663.7 min, PA ranged from 141 to 301.6 min, and the moderate-vigorous PA was reported between 20.7 and 180.2 min.ConclusionThe choice of a particular accelerometry protocol considering these factors is important to evaluate SB or PA intensities to suit the characteristics of the sample researched. It seems necessary to establish future lines of research that include different analytical approaches to measure SB and PA by accelerometry based on standardized and validated methodology.
Highlights
During the last decade, the term physical activity (PA) has acquired a significant relevance worldwide due to the health benefits associated with its practice [1,2,3]
The accelerometry protocols showed differences (p < 0.05) when comparing the results obtained under 20 min of non-wear-time (NWT-20) versus 60 min of non-wear-time (NWT-60) criteria (Table 3)
Regardless of NWT criteria, higher sedentary behavior (SB) were obtained for Puyau et al [21], higher light PA (LPA) for Mattocks et al [22], and higher moderate PA (MPA) and moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for Freedson et al [20] (Table 3)
Summary
The term physical activity (PA) has acquired a significant relevance worldwide due to the health benefits associated with its practice [1,2,3]. A recent review revealed that globally, the practice of MVPA is below recommendations, being even lower in children with obesity (OB) than in their normal-weight (NW) peers [5]. In this way, valid, reliable and feasible measures are needed to quantify the actual prevalence of PA practice. Accelerometers are medical-grade biometric monitoring devices that capture and record high-resolution raw acceleration data. These values are converted into objective activity and sleep measures using publicly available validated algorithms [8, 10]. Accelerometers are an effective tool to assess PA; the diversity of cut-off points used to define dif‐ ferent PA intensities through accelerometry could interfere in the interpretation of the findings among studies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
