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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
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Assessment of Physical Activity Intensity with Accelerometers and Oxygen Consumption
Published on: June 20, 2025
Comparing the 7-day physical activity recall with a triaxial accelerometer for measuring time in exercise
Richard Sloane1, Denise Clutter Snyder, Wendy Demark-Wahnefried
1The Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. sloane@geri.duke.edu
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|May 23, 2009
Summary
Self-reported physical activity (PA) using the 7-Day Physical Activity Recall (PAR) showed moderate agreement with accelerometer data, but significantly underestimated exercise duration. Both methods captured different dimensions of PA and change over time.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Public Health
Background:
- Accurate measurement of physical activity (PA) is crucial for health research.
- Self-report questionnaires and accelerometers are common PA assessment tools.
- Understanding agreement between methods is key for data interpretation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association between self-reported moderate-to-vigorous-intensity exercise (7-Day Physical Activity Recall - 7-Day PAR) and accelerometer-measured PA.
- To compare the sensitivity of both methods in detecting changes in PA over time.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the FRESH START randomized clinical trial involving cancer survivors.
- Collected data using the 7-Day PAR and RT3 triaxial accelerometers at baseline, year 1, and year 2.
- Employed longitudinal serial correlation and mixed-effects models for analysis.
Main Results:
- Moderate agreement was observed between 7-Day PAR and accelerometer data (correlations ranging from 0.24 to 0.54).
- Accelerometers consistently reported higher weekly moderate-to-vigorous PA than 7-Day PAR.
- Both methods showed poor correlation in detecting changes from baseline to year 1 and similar nonsignificant treatment effects.
Conclusions:
- Self-reported exercise and accelerometer data demonstrate moderate agreement but capture different aspects of PA.
- Discrepancies in PA estimates and sensitivity to change highlight the need for careful consideration of measurement methods.
- Further research is needed to reconcile differences between subjective and objective PA assessments.
