Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal
Volume 26, Issue 1 , Pages 18-23, 2008

Use of Accelerometry to Quantify the Physical Activity Level of the Elderly

  • Kelly L. Gao, MSc
    • ,
  • William W.N. Tsang, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests and correspondence to: Dr William W.N. Tsang, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China

Received 10 March 2008; accepted 26 June 2008.

Article Outline

Abstract 

This study investigated the reliability and validity of using an accelerometry system to quantify the physical activity level of Chinese elderly subjects. Thirty-eight volunteers wore an accelerometer for 3 days. Test–retest reliability, the sensitivity of the measurements, and the correlation between the results and the results of a commonly used physical activity questionnaire were measured. The accelerometry system was found to be reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.978). The system was able to differentiate young adults and active elderly from sedentary elderly subjects (p < 0.001). The results showed a moderate but significant correlation with scores on the questionnaire (r = 0.830; p < 0.001). The accelerometry system can be used as an objective tool to quantify the physical activity level of the elderly, specifically Chinese subjects.

Key words:  health , motion sensors , older adults , physical activity level

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PII: S1013-7025(09)70004-1

doi:10.1016/S1013-7025(09)70004-1

Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal
Volume 26, Issue 1 , Pages 18-23, 2008

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