Validity and Reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> for Measurement of Body Postures and Stepping Activity in 6–12-Year-Old Children
A link between inappropriate physical behaviour patterns (low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour) and poor health outcomes has been observed. To provide evidence to quantify this link, it is important to have valid and reliable assessment tools. This study aimed to assess the validity an...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/9/4555 |
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| author | Esraa Burahmah Sivaramkumar Shanmugam Daniel Williams Ben Stansfield |
| author_facet | Esraa Burahmah Sivaramkumar Shanmugam Daniel Williams Ben Stansfield |
| author_sort | Esraa Burahmah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A link between inappropriate physical behaviour patterns (low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour) and poor health outcomes has been observed. To provide evidence to quantify this link, it is important to have valid and reliable assessment tools. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> monitor for distinguishing postures and measuring stepping activity of 6–12-year-old children. Thirteen children (8.5 ± 1.8 years) engaged in pre-determined standardised (12 min) and non-standardised (6 min) activities. Agreement, specificity and positive predictive value were assessed between the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> and direct observation (DO) (nearest 0.1 s). Between-activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> (inter-device) and between-observer (inter-rater) reliability were determined. Detection of sitting and stepping time and forward purposeful step count were all within 5% of DO. Standing time was slightly overestimated (+10%) and fast walking/jogging steps underestimated (−20%). For non-standardised activities, activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> step count matched most closely to combined backward and forward purposeful steps; however, agreement varied widely. The activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> demonstrated high levels of reliability (ICC(1, 1) > 0.976), which were higher in some instances than could be achieved through direct observation (ICC(2, 1) > 0.851 for non-standardised activities). Overall, the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> recorded standardised activities well. However, further work is required to establish the exact nature of steps counted by the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup>. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:06:18Z |
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| id | doaj.art-d93bcc6b09ba48ddbd49de5ecba80e4f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:06:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-d93bcc6b09ba48ddbd49de5ecba80e4f2023-11-17T23:46:05ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202023-05-01239455510.3390/s23094555Validity and Reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> for Measurement of Body Postures and Stepping Activity in 6–12-Year-Old ChildrenEsraa Burahmah0Sivaramkumar Shanmugam1Daniel Williams2Ben Stansfield3School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA, UKSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA, UKSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA, UKSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA, UKA link between inappropriate physical behaviour patterns (low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour) and poor health outcomes has been observed. To provide evidence to quantify this link, it is important to have valid and reliable assessment tools. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> monitor for distinguishing postures and measuring stepping activity of 6–12-year-old children. Thirteen children (8.5 ± 1.8 years) engaged in pre-determined standardised (12 min) and non-standardised (6 min) activities. Agreement, specificity and positive predictive value were assessed between the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> and direct observation (DO) (nearest 0.1 s). Between-activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> (inter-device) and between-observer (inter-rater) reliability were determined. Detection of sitting and stepping time and forward purposeful step count were all within 5% of DO. Standing time was slightly overestimated (+10%) and fast walking/jogging steps underestimated (−20%). For non-standardised activities, activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> step count matched most closely to combined backward and forward purposeful steps; however, agreement varied widely. The activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> demonstrated high levels of reliability (ICC(1, 1) > 0.976), which were higher in some instances than could be achieved through direct observation (ICC(2, 1) > 0.851 for non-standardised activities). Overall, the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> recorded standardised activities well. However, further work is required to establish the exact nature of steps counted by the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup>.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/9/4555childrenreliability and validityactivity monitorposturesteppingsedentary time |
| spellingShingle | Esraa Burahmah Sivaramkumar Shanmugam Daniel Williams Ben Stansfield Validity and Reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> for Measurement of Body Postures and Stepping Activity in 6–12-Year-Old Children Sensors children reliability and validity activity monitor posture stepping sedentary time |
| title | Validity and Reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> for Measurement of Body Postures and Stepping Activity in 6–12-Year-Old Children |
| title_full | Validity and Reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> for Measurement of Body Postures and Stepping Activity in 6–12-Year-Old Children |
| title_fullStr | Validity and Reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> for Measurement of Body Postures and Stepping Activity in 6–12-Year-Old Children |
| title_full_unstemmed | Validity and Reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> for Measurement of Body Postures and Stepping Activity in 6–12-Year-Old Children |
| title_short | Validity and Reliability of the activPAL4<sup>TM</sup> for Measurement of Body Postures and Stepping Activity in 6–12-Year-Old Children |
| title_sort | validity and reliability of the activpal4 sup tm sup for measurement of body postures and stepping activity in 6 12 year old children |
| topic | children reliability and validity activity monitor posture stepping sedentary time |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/9/4555 |
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