Comparison of Step Count Assessed Using Wrist- and Hip-Worn Actigraph GT3X in Free-Living Conditions in Young and Older Adults

Abstract

Background: Walking represents a major component of physical activity (PA), and its restriction could degrade autonomy and quality of life. An important objective for preventive and/or rehabilitative strategies to improve balance and gait in normal and pathological aging conditions is to focus on physical activity. Activity monitors have recently been getting increasingly popular and represent a modern solution to measure—and communicate—PA notably in terms of steps/day. These activity monitors are well-suited for various populations as they can be worn on a variety of locations on the body, including the wrist and the hip (i.e., the two most common locations), in an undifferentiated way according to the manufacturer's instruction. The aim of this study was hence to verify potential differences in step count (SC) by comparing this parameter assessed using wrist- and hip-worn activity trackers over a 24-h period in free-living conditions in young and older adults.Methods: Young adults (n = 22) and older adults (n = 22) voluntarily participated in this study. They were required to wear two commercially-available Actigraph GT3X+ activity monitors simultaneously at two locations recommended by the manufacturer, i.e., one positioned around the wrist and one above the hip, over a 24-h period in free-living conditions. The manufacturer's software was used to obtain estimates of the SC.Results: For both groups, the wrist-worn activity tracker provided significantly higher SC than the hip-worn activity tracker did. For both placements on the body, older adults exhibited significantly lower SC than young adults. Interestingly, for both young and older participants, the difference between both measurements tended to decrease for longer distances.Conclusion: The different estimations of the step count provided by the comparison between two identical Actigraph GT3x on the wrist or the hip during the 24-h observation period in free-living conditions in young and older adults strongly suggests that caution is needed when using total step per day values as an outcome to quantify walking behavior. Probably we can suggest the same caution across implementation of different activity Tracker.

Early postoperative physical activity and function: a descriptive case series study of 53 patients after lumbar spine surgery

“…Schulte et al [22] used a StepWatch monitor worn on the ankle, Inoue et al [60] used an Actigraph monitor worn on the wrist, and the current study used an Actigraph monitor worn around the hip. Previous studies in older adults have shown that wrist [63] and ankle [64] worn monitors may count more steps compared to hip worn monitors. Therefore, caution should be taken when comparing activity levels between studies that use different monitor placement.…”

Effects of Low-Speed and High-Speed Resistance Training Programs on Frailty Status, Physical Performance, Cognitive Function, and Blood Pressure in Prefrail and Frail Older Adults

“…Indeed, a mean difference of 10 years of age was observed between the groups. Age might indirectly influence the effects of RT on frailty and its associated parameters by impacting sedentary behavior, dietary habits, educational level, and social engagement ( 122 – 124 ). In addition, the main mechanisms underlying the effects of RT on neuromuscular function and cognition seems to be significantly affected by age ( 125 – 128 ).…”

“…Indeed, a mean difference of 10 years of age was observed between the groups. Age might indirectly influence the effects of RT on frailty and its associated parameters by impacting sedentary behavior, dietary habits, educational level, and social engagement (122)(123)(124).…”

Comparison of Energy Expenditure Assessed Using Wrist- and Hip-Worn ActiGraph GT3X in Free-Living Conditions in Young and Older Adults

“…In a recent study ( 31 ), we compared the difference in step counts between the hip-worn and wrist-worn AT in young and older adults. We showed that the difference between both measurements tended to decrease for longer distances.…”