Wearable Sensor Technology to Measure Physical Activity (PA) in the Elderly

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to provide a review of recent work on the use of wearable devices for measuring physical activity (PA) in the elderly. In older adults, PA is related to independence in activities of daily living and maintaining a good quality of life. With aging, there is a reduction in PA, which may explain reduced energy expenditure (EE) during rest and PA. In addition, there is also a reduction in the spatial extent of mobility (life-space). Sensors used for measuring PA include pedometers, uni-axial, bi-axial and tri-axial accelerometers, heart rate monitors combined with accelerometers, and complex systems using multiple types of sensors. Wearable sensors are accurate at measuring step counts, PA intensity, and EE, but need to improve accuracy of measuring type of PA, spatial extent of PA, and measuring non-ambulatory PA. Clear standards for measurement, algorithms used for computing clinically relevant measures, need to be developed.