title: Physical activity assessment in the general population; instrumental methods and new technologies.
abstract: The objective measurement of human movement and the quantification of energy expenditure due to physical activity is an identified need in both research and the clinical setting. Validated and well-defined reference methods (double labelled water, direct calorimetry, indirect calorimetry) are expensive and mostly limited to the laboratory setting. Therefore, in the last years, several objective measurement devices have been developed which are appropriate for field studies and clinical settings. There is no gold standard among them, as all have limitations. Pedometers are small, non-expensive, count the steps taken and give information on total physical activity, but not about physical activity patterns and behaviour. Accelerometers are expensive, save information about frequency and intensity of physical activity, but not about type of physical activity. Both pedometers and accelerometers only save information about lower body movement, but reliability about the estimation of energy expenditure is limited. Heart rate monitoring relates intensity to energy expenditure, but gives no information about physical activity. GPS watches are portable, relatively inexpensive, non-invasive and provide distance, speed, and elevation with exact time and location, but are maybe limited for the assessment of brief higher speed movement and energy expenditure. Combined motion sensors combine accelerometry with the measurement of physiological variables and share advantages of single devices and are more precise. Manufacturer software which applies activity-specific algorithms for the calculation of energy expenditure can affect energy expenditure results. Most of the devices estimate energy expenditure more accurately at light to moderate intensities; underestimation increases at very light and higher intensity activities.
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group. Technical University of Madrid. Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid..
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aparicio-Ugarriza
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group. Technical University of Madrid. Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid..
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mielgo-Ayuso
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid. EFISAF Research Group. Technical University of Madrid..
authors.forename: Pedro J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Benito
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group. Technical University of Madrid. Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid..
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pedrero-Chamizo
authors.affiliation: GENUD Toledo Research Group. University of Castilla La Mancha..
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ara
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group. Technical University of Madrid. Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid. CIBERobn CB 12/03/30038 (Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición). Spain.. marcela.gonzalez.gross@upm.es.
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Gross
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D056044:Actigraphy; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D011153:Population; D015203:Reproducibility of Results