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Association Between Questionnaire- and Accelerometer-Assessed Physical Activity: The Role of Sociodemographic Factors

Sabia, S; van Hees, VT; Shipley, MJ; Trenell, MI; Hagger-Johnson, G; Elbaz, A; Kivimaki, M; (2014) Association Between Questionnaire- and Accelerometer-Assessed Physical Activity: The Role of Sociodemographic Factors. American Journal of Epidemiology , 179 (6) pp. 781-790. 10.1093/aje/kwt330. Green open access

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Abstract

The correlation between objective and self-reported measures of physical activity varies between studies. We examined this association and whether it differed by demographic factors or socioeconomic status (SES). Data were from 3,975 Whitehall II (United Kingdom, 2012-2013) participants aged 60-83 years, who completed a physical activity questionnaire and wore an accelerometer on their wrist for 9 days. There was a moderate correlation between questionnaire- and accelerometer-assessed physical activity (Spearman's r = 0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.30, 0.36). The correlations were higher in high-SES groups than in low-SES groups (P 's = 0.02), as defined by education (r = 0.38 vs. r = 0.30) or occupational position (r = 0.37 vs. r = 0.29), but did not differ by age, sex, or marital status. Of the self-reported physical activity, 68.3% came from mild activities, 25% from moderate activities, and only 6.7% from vigorous activities, but their correlations with accelerometer-assessed total physical activity were comparable (range of r 's, 0.21-0.25). Self-reported physical activity from more energetic activities was more strongly associated with accelerometer data (for sports, r = 0.22; for gardening, r = 0.16; for housework, r = 0.09). High-SES persons reported more energetic activities, producing stronger accelerometer associations in these groups. Future studies should identify the aspects of physical activity that are most critical for health; this involves better understanding of the instruments being used.

Type: Article
Title: Association Between Questionnaire- and Accelerometer-Assessed Physical Activity: The Role of Sociodemographic Factors
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwt330
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwt330
Language: English
Additional information: © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in anymedium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: accelerometry, cohort studies, elderly, epidemiologic methods, physical activity, questionnaires
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1419578
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