Impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults: Considerations for public health.

<h4>Background</h4>To process wearables sensors data, end-users face a wide variety of choices influencing physical activity (PA) patterns estimation. This study investigated the impact of varying epoch length on PA patterns in adults and World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines pre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rayane Haddadj, Charlotte Verdot, Benoît Salanave, Valérie Deschamps, Jérémy Vanhelst
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316176
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841555504759832576
author Rayane Haddadj
Charlotte Verdot
Benoît Salanave
Valérie Deschamps
Jérémy Vanhelst
author_facet Rayane Haddadj
Charlotte Verdot
Benoît Salanave
Valérie Deschamps
Jérémy Vanhelst
author_sort Rayane Haddadj
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>To process wearables sensors data, end-users face a wide variety of choices influencing physical activity (PA) patterns estimation. This study investigated the impact of varying epoch length on PA patterns in adults and World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines prevalence, assessed by accelerometer.<h4>Methods</h4>The study included 181 adults (18-74 years) from the Esteban Study (2014-2016). Participants wore an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Data were processed with ActiLife® software using epoch lengths from 1 to 60 seconds to assess PA patterns. Difference of PA patterns between epoch length was assessed using repeated measures ANOVA. Difference in meeting WHO PA guidelines was assesses using Fisher's exact test.<h4>Results</h4>Significant changes were observed in sedentary behaviour and PA intensities with epoch length variation (p<0.001). Longer epochs led to reduced moderate and vigorous PA, increased light PA, and less sedentary time, affecting adherence to WHO PA guidelines.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Result underline the importance of careful epoch length selection when processing accelerometer data to accurately assess sedentary behaviour and PA in adults. Shorter epochs seem preferable to capture short and spontaneous PA bouts and preventing underestimation of MVPA along with prolonged PA bouts. Further investigation including a PA reference measure is needed to confirm these findings and their implications for adult health.
format Article
id doaj-art-0a5d2dc682a14fb1ba4db603fb266b85
institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-0a5d2dc682a14fb1ba4db603fb266b852025-01-08T05:32:19ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-011912e031617610.1371/journal.pone.0316176Impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults: Considerations for public health.Rayane HaddadjCharlotte VerdotBenoît SalanaveValérie DeschampsJérémy Vanhelst<h4>Background</h4>To process wearables sensors data, end-users face a wide variety of choices influencing physical activity (PA) patterns estimation. This study investigated the impact of varying epoch length on PA patterns in adults and World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines prevalence, assessed by accelerometer.<h4>Methods</h4>The study included 181 adults (18-74 years) from the Esteban Study (2014-2016). Participants wore an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Data were processed with ActiLife® software using epoch lengths from 1 to 60 seconds to assess PA patterns. Difference of PA patterns between epoch length was assessed using repeated measures ANOVA. Difference in meeting WHO PA guidelines was assesses using Fisher's exact test.<h4>Results</h4>Significant changes were observed in sedentary behaviour and PA intensities with epoch length variation (p<0.001). Longer epochs led to reduced moderate and vigorous PA, increased light PA, and less sedentary time, affecting adherence to WHO PA guidelines.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Result underline the importance of careful epoch length selection when processing accelerometer data to accurately assess sedentary behaviour and PA in adults. Shorter epochs seem preferable to capture short and spontaneous PA bouts and preventing underestimation of MVPA along with prolonged PA bouts. Further investigation including a PA reference measure is needed to confirm these findings and their implications for adult health.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316176
spellingShingle Rayane Haddadj
Charlotte Verdot
Benoît Salanave
Valérie Deschamps
Jérémy Vanhelst
Impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults: Considerations for public health.
PLoS ONE
title Impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults: Considerations for public health.
title_full Impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults: Considerations for public health.
title_fullStr Impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults: Considerations for public health.
title_full_unstemmed Impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults: Considerations for public health.
title_short Impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults: Considerations for public health.
title_sort impact of varying accelerometer epoch length on physical activity patterns in adults considerations for public health
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316176
work_keys_str_mv AT rayanehaddadj impactofvaryingaccelerometerepochlengthonphysicalactivitypatternsinadultsconsiderationsforpublichealth
AT charlotteverdot impactofvaryingaccelerometerepochlengthonphysicalactivitypatternsinadultsconsiderationsforpublichealth
AT benoitsalanave impactofvaryingaccelerometerepochlengthonphysicalactivitypatternsinadultsconsiderationsforpublichealth
AT valeriedeschamps impactofvaryingaccelerometerepochlengthonphysicalactivitypatternsinadultsconsiderationsforpublichealth
AT jeremyvanhelst impactofvaryingaccelerometerepochlengthonphysicalactivitypatternsinadultsconsiderationsforpublichealth