Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
A prospective study of physical activity intensity and change in adiposity in middle-aged women
Bruce W Bailey1, Larry A Tucker, Travis R Peterson
1Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125-3393, USA. bruce.bailey@umb.edu
Purpose:
To determine the extent to which objectively measured intensity of physical activity (PA) predicts change in body fat (BF%) in women.
Design:
Prospective cohort study of PA intensity and body composition in middle-aged women.
Setting:
The study took place in a metropolitan Mountain West community.
Subjects:
Two hundred and twenty-eight women participated in two assessment periods separated by 20 months.
Measures:
Each assessment period consisted of seven consecutive days of monitoring, followed by body composition testing.
Analysis:
The general linear model using partial correlations and Mantel-Haenszel chi2 tests were performed.
Results:
At baseline and follow-up, women who participated in vigorous PA were leaner than women who participated in moderate or light PA (p < .05). Longitudinal results indicated that a greater proportion of women who decreased PA intensity over the 20 months also increased BF% (66%), compared to participants who increased or maintained PA intensity (47%) (p < .05).
Conclusions:
PA intensity seems to play a role in long-term weight maintenance. Reducing PA intensity increases the risk of BF% gain in women. Efforts to help women maintain PA intensity along with other weight management strategies may prove beneficial in preventing unwanted body fat gain in middle-aged women.
