Use of accelerometers to track changes in stepping behavior with the introduction of the 2020 COVID pandemic restrictions: a case study
Use of accelerometers to track changes in stepping behavior with the introduction of the 2020 COVID pandemic restrictions: a case study
Introduction: the COVID-19 lockdown introduced restrictions to free-living activities. Changes to these activities can be accurately quantified using combined measurement. Using activPAL3 and self-reports to collect activity data, the study aimed to quantify changes that occurred in physical activity and sedentary behavior between prelockdown and lockdown. The study also sought to determine changes in indoor and outdoor stepping.
Methods: using activPAL3, four participants recorded physical activity data prelockdown and during lockdown restrictions (February–June 2020). Single events (sitting, standing, stepping, lying) were recorded and analyzed by the CREA algorithm using an event-based approach. The analysis focused on step count, sedentary time, and lying (in bed) time; median and interquartile range were calculated. Daily steps classified as taking place indoors and outdoors were calculated separately.
Results: 33 prelockdown and 92 in-lockdown days of valid data were captured. Median daily step count across all participants reduced by 14.8% (from 5,828 prelockdown to 4,963 in-lockdown), while sedentary and lying time increased by 4% and 8%, respectively (sedentary: 9.98–10.30 hr; lying: 9.33–10.05 hr). Individual variations were observed in hours spent sedentary (001: 8.44–8.66, 002: 7.41–8.66, 003: 11.97–10.59, 004: 6.29–7.94, and lying (001: 9.69–9.49, 002: 11.46–11.66, 003: 7.63–9.34, 004: 9.7–11.12) pre- and in-lockdown. Discrepancies in self-report versus algorithm classification of indoor/outdoor stepping were observed for three participants.
Conclusion: the study quantitively showed lockdown restrictions negatively impacted physical activity and sedentary behavior; two variables closely linked to health outcomes. This has important implications for public health policies to help develop targeted interventions and mandates that encourage additional physical activity and lower sedentary behavior.
activity monitor, lockdown, physical activity, sedentary
45-59
McGuire, Tiereny
a44a6728-b9ab-4c81-9e33-67fd382d2923
Devin, Kirstie Marie
17564d09-f686-4686-a39f-65ce0f4d160b
Patricks, Victoria
06c1b89c-b359-45df-b3fa-e867d83b2738
Griffiths, Benjamin
cda213bd-02b1-48fc-acb8-c9ac6e0b572e
Speirs, Craig
235e03ab-0a4f-4efd-87c9-2c3d5c17f2c8
Granat, Malcolm
73f58a52-fd38-4320-b749-f18d8c1d90e9
27 January 2023
McGuire, Tiereny
a44a6728-b9ab-4c81-9e33-67fd382d2923
Devin, Kirstie Marie
17564d09-f686-4686-a39f-65ce0f4d160b
Patricks, Victoria
06c1b89c-b359-45df-b3fa-e867d83b2738
Griffiths, Benjamin
cda213bd-02b1-48fc-acb8-c9ac6e0b572e
Speirs, Craig
235e03ab-0a4f-4efd-87c9-2c3d5c17f2c8
Granat, Malcolm
73f58a52-fd38-4320-b749-f18d8c1d90e9
McGuire, Tiereny, Devin, Kirstie Marie, Patricks, Victoria, Griffiths, Benjamin, Speirs, Craig and Granat, Malcolm
(2023)
Use of accelerometers to track changes in stepping behavior with the introduction of the 2020 COVID pandemic restrictions: a case study.
Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour, 6 (1), .
(doi:10.1123/jmpb.2022-0015).
Abstract
Introduction: the COVID-19 lockdown introduced restrictions to free-living activities. Changes to these activities can be accurately quantified using combined measurement. Using activPAL3 and self-reports to collect activity data, the study aimed to quantify changes that occurred in physical activity and sedentary behavior between prelockdown and lockdown. The study also sought to determine changes in indoor and outdoor stepping.
Methods: using activPAL3, four participants recorded physical activity data prelockdown and during lockdown restrictions (February–June 2020). Single events (sitting, standing, stepping, lying) were recorded and analyzed by the CREA algorithm using an event-based approach. The analysis focused on step count, sedentary time, and lying (in bed) time; median and interquartile range were calculated. Daily steps classified as taking place indoors and outdoors were calculated separately.
Results: 33 prelockdown and 92 in-lockdown days of valid data were captured. Median daily step count across all participants reduced by 14.8% (from 5,828 prelockdown to 4,963 in-lockdown), while sedentary and lying time increased by 4% and 8%, respectively (sedentary: 9.98–10.30 hr; lying: 9.33–10.05 hr). Individual variations were observed in hours spent sedentary (001: 8.44–8.66, 002: 7.41–8.66, 003: 11.97–10.59, 004: 6.29–7.94, and lying (001: 9.69–9.49, 002: 11.46–11.66, 003: 7.63–9.34, 004: 9.7–11.12) pre- and in-lockdown. Discrepancies in self-report versus algorithm classification of indoor/outdoor stepping were observed for three participants.
Conclusion: the study quantitively showed lockdown restrictions negatively impacted physical activity and sedentary behavior; two variables closely linked to health outcomes. This has important implications for public health policies to help develop targeted interventions and mandates that encourage additional physical activity and lower sedentary behavior.
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2023 McGuire et al Use of Accelerometers to Track Changes in Stepping Behavior With the Introduction of the 2020 COVID Pandemic Restrictions
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More information
e-pub ahead of print date: 27 January 2023
Published date: 27 January 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant EP/S02249X/1 for the Center for Doctoral Training in Prosthetics and Orthotics. The team would like to thank Maxwell Marrison-Clements for his contribution to data collection in the initial stages of the study. Granat is a coinventor of the activPAL3™ physical activity monitor and a director of PAL Technologies Ltd., and Speirs is an employee at PAL Technologies Ltd.
Keywords:
activity monitor, lockdown, physical activity, sedentary
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 477542
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/477542
ISSN: 2575-6605
PURE UUID: c7f941c9-4d1e-4767-a8e9-d19fef505206
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Date deposited: 08 Jun 2023 16:32
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:58
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Contributors
Author:
Tiereny McGuire
Author:
Kirstie Marie Devin
Author:
Victoria Patricks
Author:
Benjamin Griffiths
Author:
Craig Speirs
Author:
Malcolm Granat
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