Measuring Physical Activity

Measurement Tools
There are a variety of measurement tools for
measuring physical activity levels and each has
it's advantages and disadvantages. The most
basic of categorisation of the measures is
whether they are subjective or objective.

Subjective Measures
Some assessments of PA rely on a person
recalling or remembering which activities they
participated in, or recalling their perception of
the activity session. Some may also rely on a
parent or guardian to give their view of a persons
activity levels. These measures are known as
subjective measures, e.g. Recall survey's, proxy
reports, diary or logs.

Objective Measures
These measures do not rely on a subject's
opinion of her or his own physical activity levels.
They are measurements conducted by machines,
or by impartial professionals, e.g. Pedometers,
direct observation, accelerometers.

Subjective Measures
Self and Proxy Report Measures
Self-report measures are the most commonly
used subjective measures of physical activity.
They include self administered and interviewer
administered recalls through the use of
interviews, questionnaires, dairies and logs.
Proxy report measures are used when an
individual reports on behalf of someone else, due
to cognitive limitations or memory limitations
e.g. Children (under 10) or elderly.

Recall Instruments
Require respondents to remember which physical
activity they engaged in during the previous day,
week, month or year. They do not change physical
activity and can be self, telephone or interviewer
administered. Examples are Active Australia
Survey, Global Physical Activity
Questionnaire(GPAQ), International Physical
Activity Questionnaires(IPAQ) and Children's
Leisure Activities Study Survey(CLASS).

Recall Instruments

Advantages
No reactivity (in most cases)
Can assess multiple domains
Quick and easy for large groups
Cost effective for large studies

Recall Instruments
Disadvantages
Accuracy problems due to social desirability
bias.
Not suitable for children under 10 or older
adults due to cognitive limitations
Interviewer may be needed to collect data
Not very accurate due to memory limitations

Diaries and Logs

Requires participants to document their physical
activity level at the same time each day. Can be
used to document a variety of activities within a
given time frame. Examples Multi-Activity
Recall for Children and Adolescents(MARCA).

Diaries and Logs

Advantages
Can capture qualitative and quantitative
information
Good for small groups
Easy to complete

Diaries and Logs

Disadvantages
Accuracy problems due to social desirability bias
Not suitable for children under 10 etc
High participant burden and medium reactivity

Objective Measures
Direct Observation
Involves watching peoples behaviours within
specific settings (such as parks, schools or PE
classes) and recording activities and events of
interest. Trained observers watch participants
for a specefic time frame and can often be
assisted with technology (e.g. Time motion) or
observation tools (e.g. SOPLAY, SOFIT and
SOPARC)

Direct Observation

Advantages
Can capture qualitative and quantitative information.

Quick and easy for small sized studies

Can collect contextual information
Useful within settings

Direct Observation

Disadvantages
Difficult with large groups
Time intensive and labour intensive
Obtrusive
High reactivity

Pedometers
Pedometers
Simplest form of motion sensor for physical
activity assessment. Measures total steps and
some models can estimate total distance, energy
expenditure, and total movement time.

Pedometers

Advantages
Inexpensive
Small light weight and non-invasive
Easy to administer to large groups
Provides objective measure of the most common
activity(walking)

Can promote behavioural changes

Pedometers
Disadvantages
Does not measure any dimensions

Doesnt take into account body size and speed of

movement

Cant be used swimming and doesn't register upper body

movements

No info on type of activity

Accelerometers
Or motion sensors are designed to register body
motion, specifically acceleration and
deceleration(not speed). Measures the rate and
magnitude that the body's centre mass is
displaced during movement. Usually measured
in g-forces or movement counts per minute.
Uniaxial accelerometers measure motion in a
single plane, whereas biaxial and triaxial are able
to measure multiple planes.

Accelerometers

Advantages
Provides intensity, frequency and duration
Small light weight and non-invasive
Low participant burden
Provides minute by minute data that can be
stored
Simple quick data collection

Accelerometers
Disadvantages
Expensive so not suitable for large groups
Does not provide type and contextual
information
Cannot be worn during acquatic based activity
Requires specialised knowledge to administer

Intensity
Measuring Intensity
The first thing to be aware of is that intensity can
be measured relatively; that is, what is difficult
for one person may be easier for another, even if
performing the same task.

Intensity
METs (Metabolic Equivalent Units)
Can be useful to quantify the level at which a certain
activity's intensity is above that of resting oxygen
consumption (and therefore energy expenditure).
1 MET is the complete resting level
1-1.5 METs is the range of sedentary behaviour
1.5-3 Mets is the range for light activity (e.g. Slow
walking)
3-6 METs is the range for moderate intensity
activity (e.g. Slow jog)
6+ Mets is for vigorous PA(e.g. Running)

Intensity
Rate of Perceived Exertion(RPE)
Relies on subject's ratings of the difficulty of a
particular physical activity. There are various
ways to do this, but one is a simple 1-10 scale,
where 1 is at rest and 10 is maximal effort.

Intensity
Heart Rate Monitors
Heart rate is an indication of intensity. An
intensity term is percentage of heart rate max
(%HRmax), which is worked out using
theoretical max heart rate of 220-age.
The higher % of heart rate max the higher the
intensity.

Picking the Right Measure

When choosing the most appropriate measure for a given situation,
considerations to be taken into account include:
Reliability and accuracy: consistency and precision of measurement(will
you get the same results each time you use the test.)
Validity: Will the method measure what needs to be measured, or will it
measure something else altogether.
Dimensions: does it measure the dimensions?(e.g. Pedometer)
Cost and Accuracy trade-off: What is affordable but still gives the most
valid and reliable results?(Practicality Vs Accuracy)
Reactivity: the level by which the measure affects behaviour.
Can it be used in different settings e.g. Pool, school or public place.
Can behaviour be observed in different contexts e.g. Direct
observation
The target population sub group: Who is being measured (children, adults,
elderly)?

 Social Desirability Bias

This refers to situations where people report
results which they have altered in some way,
either consciously or sub-consciously, in order to
be perceived in a more socially acceptable way
than would have been the case in reality. This is
a reporting bias; subjects do not actually change
their behaviour.

 Reactivity
When they do actually change their behaviour this is called reactivity,
which occurs when individuals modify their behaviour during the period
of measurement. When people are aware that a measure is being
conducted, they typically alter their behaviour, either positively or
negatively, as a result.

How do we reduce reactivity?

Increase the frequency of measurement e.g. So they become accustomed
to direct observation.
Observing participants when they are unaware of the observer e.g.
Hiding, or using one way glass.
Covering physical activity measurements e.g. Tape over screen of
pedometer so participant receives no feedback