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An adult physical activity scoring scheme: its evaluation and application
Shirley Ann Gerrior1, Wen Yen Juan, Hazel A B Hiza
1U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Alexandria, VA, USA. sgerrior@csrees.usda.gov
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|August 25, 2005
Summary
A new scoring scheme (SS) for adult physical activity (PA) was developed. While effective for moderate and vigorous activities, it may misclassify individuals with mixed activity types.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Exercise Science
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Assessing adult physical activity (PA) levels is crucial for public health.
- Existing methods may not accurately capture the nuances of diverse activity patterns.
- A standardized scoring scheme is needed for consistent evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel scoring scheme (SS) for assessing adult physical activity.
- To establish criteria for categorizing physical activity levels based on intensity, frequency, and duration.
Main Methods:
- Developed a 100-point scoring scheme based on the 2000 METs compendium and PA guidelines.
- Utilized data from the 2000 Behavioral Risk Surveillance Survey (N=173,980).
- Employed sensitivity and specificity analyses to evaluate the SS's accuracy in classifying activity levels.
Main Results:
- Only 12.8-13.1% of adults achieved a 'good' PA score, while 41-48.9% needed improvement.
- The SS demonstrated high sensitivity in identifying inactive individuals (94-95%) and those needing improvement (92%).
- Specificity for identifying individuals with a 'good' score was moderate (57-60%).
Conclusions:
- The developed scoring scheme accurately assigns credit to moderate and vigorous physical activities.
- Potential misclassification of active individuals may occur due to assumptions regarding mixed moderate and vigorous activities.
- Further refinement may be needed to improve accuracy for complex activity profiles.