Measuring physical activity in public open space--an electronic device versus direct observation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Environmental Science
• Recreation Management

Background:

• Accurate measurement of park usage is crucial for understanding physical activity participation.
• Electronic counters are increasingly explored as potential tools for park and recreation research.
• Infra-red beam counters (IRBCs) offer a non-intrusive method for automated counting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the validity and practicality of infra-red beam counters (IRBCs) for measuring park walking path usage.
• To compare IRBC data with direct observation counts for both path and overall park use.
• To determine the reliability of IRBCs as a tool for physical activity research in park settings.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous data collection using IRBCs and direct observation across five parks.
• Data collection occurred over multiple non-consecutive days in different seasons (February-March 1998/1999 and October 1999).
• Validation involved comparing IRBC counts against observer counts for path volume and total park users.

Main Results:

• IRBCs significantly over-estimated observed walking path usage, ranging from 14% to 78%.
• Path volume assessments showed discrepancies from 10% under-estimation to 16% over-estimation by IRBCs.
• Overall park user counts indicated IRBCs varied from 69% under-estimation to no difference compared to direct observation.

Conclusions:

• Infra-red beam counters (IRBCs) are not appropriate for accurately quantifying physical activity in parks.
• Direct observation is currently superior for collecting valid data on park-based physical activity.
• Further research is required to identify specific contexts where electronic counters like IRBCs might yield valid participation data.