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Calibration of GENEActiv accelerometer wrist cut-points for the assessment of physical activity intensity of preschool aged children

European Journal of Pediatrics volume 176, pages 1093–1098 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

This study sought to validate cut-points for use of wrist-worn GENEActiv accelerometer data, to analyse preschool children’s (4 to 5 year olds) physical activity (PA) levels via calibration with oxygen consumption values (VO2). This was a laboratory-based calibration study. Twenty-one preschool children, aged 4.7 ± 0.5 years old, completed six activities (ranging from lying supine to running) whilst wearing the GENEActiv accelerometers at two locations (left and right wrist), these being the participants’ non-dominant and dominant wrist, and a Cortex face mask for gas analysis. VO2 data was used for the assessment of criterion validity. Location specific activity intensity cut-points were established via receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. The GENEActiv accelerometers, irrespective of their location, accurately discriminated between all PA intensities (sedentary, light, and moderate and above), with the dominant wrist monitor providing a slightly more precise discrimination at light PA and the non-dominant at the sedentary behaviour and moderate and above intensity levels (area under the curve (AUC) for non-dominant = 0.749–0.993, compared to AUC dominant = 0.760–0.988).

Conclusion: This study establishes wrist-worn physical activity cut-points for the GENEActiv accelerometer in preschoolers.

What is Known:
• GENEActiv accelerometers have been validated as a PA measurement tool in adolescents and adults.
• No study to date has validated the GENEActiv accelerometers in preschoolers.
What is New:
• Cut-points were determined for the wrist-worn GENEActiv accelerometer in preschoolers.
• These cut-points can be used in future research to help classify and increase preschoolers’ compliance rates with PA.

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Abbreviations

AUC:

Area under the curve

MET:

Metabolic equivalents

PA:

Physical activity

REE:

Resting energy expenditure

ROC:

Receiver operating characteristics

Se:

Sensitivity

Sp:

Specificity

SPSS:

Statistical Package for Social Sciences

SVMgs:

Signal magnitude vector

VCO2 :

Carbon dioxide output

VO2 :

Oxygen consumption

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Applied Biological and Exercise Sciences, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK

    Clare M. P. Roscoe, Rob S. James & Michael J. Duncan

  2. Sport, Exercise and Outdoor Sciences, University of Derby, Derby, UK

    Clare M. P. Roscoe

Authors
  1. Clare M. P. Roscoe
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  2. Rob S. James
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  3. Michael J. Duncan
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Contributions

Clare Roscoe—conception and design of the study, data acquisition (patients’ measurements), analysis of the data, preparation of the tables, preparation of the manuscript, finding relevant references and final approval of the manuscript.

Michael Duncan—conception and design of the study, analysis of the data, preparation of the tables, preparation of the manuscript, finding relevant references and final approval of the manuscript.

Rob James—analysis of the data, preparation of tables and charts, preparation of the manuscript, finding relevant references and final approval of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Clare M. P. Roscoe.

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Funding

None do declare.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in the studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Communicated by Mario Bianchetti

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Cite this article

Roscoe, C.M.P., James, R.S. & Duncan, M.J. Calibration of GENEActiv accelerometer wrist cut-points for the assessment of physical activity intensity of preschool aged children. Eur J Pediatr 176, 1093–1098 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-017-2948-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-017-2948-2

Keywords

  • Preschoolers
  • Physical activity
  • GENEActiv accelerometers
  • Calibration