Validity of the Activity Tracker for Measuring Steps in Community-dwelling Older Adults

Overview

Journal BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med

Specialty Orthopedics

Date 2016 Dec 1

PMID 27900119

Citations 70

Authors

Serene S Paul

Anne Tiedemann

Leanne M Hassett

Elisabeth Ramsay

Catherine Kirkham

Sakina Chagpar

Catherine Sherrington

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Commercially available activity monitors, such as the , may encourage physical activity. However, the accuracy of the in older adults remains unknown. This study aimed to determine (1) the criterion validity of step counts compared to visual count and accelerometer step counts and (2) the accuracy of step counts compared to visual count in community-dwelling older people.

Methods: Thirty-two community-dwelling adults aged over 60 wore and devices simultaneously during a 2 min walk test (2MWT) and then during waking hours over a 7-day period. A physiotherapist counted the steps taken during the 2MWT.

Results: There was excellent agreement between and visually counted steps (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.88, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.94) from the 2MWT, and good agreement between and (ICC=0.66, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.82), and between and visually counted steps (ICC=0.60, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.79). There was excellent agreement between the and in average steps/day over 7 days (ICC=0.94, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.97). Percentage agreement was closest for steps compared to visual count (mean 0%, SD 4%) and least for average steps/day compared to the (mean 13%, SD 25%).

Conclusions: The accurately tracked steps during the 2MWT, but the appeared to underestimate steps. There was strong agreement between and counted steps. The tracker is sufficiently accurate to be used among community-dwelling older adults to monitor and give feedback on step counts.

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