Physical activity monitoring in obese people in the real life environment

Abstract

BackgroundObesity is a major problem especially in western countries and several studies underline the importance of physical activity to enhance diet. Currently there is increasing interest in instruments for monitoring daily physical activity. The purpose of this pilot study was to appraise the qualitative and quantitative differences in physical activities and gait analysis parameters in control and obese subjects by means of an innovative tool for the monitoring of physical activity.MethodsTwenty-six obese patients, 16 women and 10 men, aged 22 to 69 years with Body Mass Index (BMI) between 30 and 51.4 kg/m2, were compared with 15 control subjects, 4 men and 11 women, aged 24 to 69 with BMI between 18 and 25 kg/m2 during daily physical activities. The IDEEA device (Minisun, Fresno, CA), based on a wearable system of biaxial accelerometers and able to continuously record the physical activities and energy expenditure of a subject in time was used. Time spent in different physical activities such as standing, sitting, walking, lying, reclining, stepping, energy expenditure and gait parameters (velocity, stance duration, etc) were measured during a 24-hours period.ResultsA trend toward a reduced number of steps was present, associated to reduced speed, reduced cadence and reduced rate of single and double limb support (SLS/DLS). Moreover, obese people spent significant less time stepping, less time lying and more time in a sitting or reclined position during the night. The energy expenditure during a 24-hours period was higher in the obese compared to controls.ConclusionsThe study provided objective parameters to differentiate the daily motor activity of obese subjects with respect to controls, even a larger population is required to confirm these findings. The device used can be of support in programming educational activities for life style modification in obese people as well as for monitoring the results of various kinds of intervention in these patients concerning weight and physical performance.

Physical Activity in the Post-Hip-Fracture Period

“…Our findings did not support prior findings suggesting that those with higher BMIs would engage in fewer counts of physical activity (Benedetti et al, 2009; Li et al, 2010). Prior studies have suggested, for example, that older adults with elevated BMIs do not engage in physical activity because of gait changes that influence energy expenditure, making activity more difficult (Ko, Stenholm, & Ferrucci, 2010), or because of body-image-related challenges (Schmalz, 2010).…”

“…Recovery from such devastating changes can take time and requires significant participation in rehabilitation and exercise activities, among other behaviors. Patient age, sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., marital status or living alone), preexisting disability and comorbidities, cognitive decline or delirium, depressed mood, poor perceived health status, lack of motivation and resilience, cultural expectations, pain, fear of falling, body-mass index, and polypharmacotherapy can likewise influence physical activity (Benedetti et al, 2009; Browning et al, 2009; Proctor et al, 2008). Along with physical and environment factors, care-related factors (e.g., giving a patient a bedpan vs. helping him or her walk to the bathroom) can cause deconditioning and decrease participation in physical activity (Brown et al, 2009; Brown et al, 2007; Volpato et al, 2007).…”

Knee arthroplasty: a cross-sectional study assessing energy expenditure and activity

“…Previously, it has been used to assess gait differences in chronic degenerative knee arthritis 15 and hip arthroplasty patients 16 . The IDEEA has also been used outside the orthopaedic area to measure energy expenditure, activity and gait in healthy children, 17 in young adults 18 and children 19 with cerebral palsy, older adults at risk of mobility disability 20 and obese adults 21 . However, the IDEEA has never been used to assess the outcome of knee arthroplasty.…”

Measurement of energy expenditure by activity monitors

“…The RT3 accelerometer, the IDEEA, and the SWA are three accelerometers that are frequently used to measure PA. 20,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] The RT3 measures the magnitude of acceleration in three dimensions to provide vector data in 'counts'. Counts are converted into kilocalories (kcal) with the use of algorithms based on the wearer's characteristics.…”