Individual characteristics associated with mismatches between self-reported and accelerometer-measured physical...

Area of Science:

• Health behavior research
• Biomedical data analysis
• Public health surveillance

Background:

• Accurate physical activity (PA) assessment is crucial for public health surveillance and intervention effectiveness.
• Discrepancies between perceived and actual PA can hinder behavioral change.
• Previous studies show differences between self-reported and accelerometer-measured PA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify individual characteristics associated with mismatches between self-reported and accelerometer-measured physical activity.
• To understand factors influencing the reliability of PA self-reporting.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Commuting and Health in Cambridge study (2009).
• Derived quartiles for self-reported and accelerometer-measured PA.
• Employed multinomial logistic regression to analyze individual characteristics linked to PA measurement discrepancies.

Main Results:

• Analysis included 486 participants (70% female).
• Overweight/obese individuals were significantly more likely to overreport PA compared to normal-weight individuals (OR=2.07).
• This overreporting was particularly pronounced in women (OR=3.97).

Conclusions:

• A higher likelihood of mismatch exists between self-reported and accelerometer-measured PA in overweight/obese adults.
• Future research on overweight/obese populations should consider using both self-report and accelerometer methods for comprehensive PA assessment.