Abstract
There is conflicting evidence regarding the health implications of high occupational physical activity (PA). Shoe-based accelerometers could provide a feasible solution for PA measurement in workplace settings. This study aimed to develop calibration models for estimation of energy expenditure (EE) from shoe-based accelerometers, validate the performance in a workplace setting and compare it to the most commonly used accelerometer positions. Models for EE estimation were calibrated in a laboratory setting for the shoe, hip, thigh and wrist worn accelerometers. These models were validated in a free-living workplace setting. Furthermore, additional models were developed from free-living data. All sensor positions performed well in the laboratory setting. When the calibration models derived from laboratory data were validated in free living, the shoe, hip and thigh sensors displayed higher correlation, but lower agreement, with measured EE compared to the wrist sensor. Using free-living data for calibration improved the agreement of the shoe, hip and thigh sensors. This study suggests that the performance of a shoe-based accelerometer is similar to the most commonly used sensor positions with regard to PA measurement. Furthermore, it highlights limitations in using the relationship between accelerometer output and EE from a laboratory setting to estimate EE in a free-living setting.
Highlights
Measurement of physical activity (PA) by accelerometers is common practice in clinical and epidemiological research [1]
PA is defined as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure” [5] and is more closely resembled by intensity measures
When the validity of the most commonly used positions are compared in free-living conditions, the hip position consistently outperforms the wrist position whereas the wrist position seems to be superior to thigh [1,9]
Summary
Measurement of physical activity (PA) by accelerometers is common practice in clinical and epidemiological research [1]. PA is defined as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure” [5] and is more closely resembled by intensity measures. In these measures, bodily movement recorded as acceleration is aggregated or averaged over time to represent volume and intensity of activity [6]. Bodily movement recorded as acceleration is aggregated or averaged over time to represent volume and intensity of activity [6] This is followed by applying calibration algorithms to translate measured movement to EE [6]. When the validity of the most commonly used positions are compared in free-living conditions, the hip position consistently outperforms the wrist position whereas the wrist position seems to be superior to thigh [1,9]
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