Influence of allowable interruption period on estimates of accelerometer wear time and sedentary time in older adults

The criteria one uses to reduce accelerometer data can profoundly influence the interpretation of research outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of 3 different interruption periods (i.e., 20, 30, and 60 min) on the amount of data retained for analyses and estimates of sede...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of aging and physical activity 2014-04, Vol.22 (2), p.255-260
Main Authors: Mailey, Emily L, Gothe, Neha P, Wójcicki, Thomas R, Szabo, Amanda N, Olson, Erin A, Mullen, Sean P, Fanning, Jason T, Motl, Robert W, McAuley, Edward
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accelerometers
Accelerometry - methods
Aged
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Exercise
Female
Geriatric Assessment - methods
Humans
Male
Motor Activity
Older people
Research Design
Sedentary
Sedentary behavior
Sedentary Lifestyle
Self Report
Time and Motion Studies
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The criteria one uses to reduce accelerometer data can profoundly influence the interpretation of research outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of 3 different interruption periods (i.e., 20, 30, and 60 min) on the amount of data retained for analyses and estimates of sedentary time among older adults. Older adults (N = 311, M age = 71.1) wore an accelerometer for 7 d and reported wear time on an accelerometer log. Accelerometer data were downloaded and scored using 20-, 30-, and 60-min interruption periods. Estimates of wear time, derived using each interruption period, were compared with self-reported wear time, and descriptive statistics were used to compare estimates of sedentary time. Results showed a longer interruption period (i.e., 60 min) yields the largest sample size and the closest approximation of self-reported wear time. A short interruption period (i.e., 20 min) is likely to underestimate sedentary time among older adults.
ISSN:1063-8652
1543-267X
DOI:10.1123/JAPA.2013-0021