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Toddler physical activity study: laboratory and community studies to evaluate accelerometer validity and correlates
Erin R Hager1,2, Candice E Gormley3,4, Laura W Latta3,5
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. ehager@peds.umaryland.edu.
BMC Public Health
|September 8, 2016
Summary
Ankle accelerometry accurately measures physical activity in toddlers. Younger, female, Black toddlers, and those in urban areas with less active mothers are at higher risk for inactivity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Exercise Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Toddlerhood is crucial for establishing physical activity (PA) habits to prevent obesity.
- Accurate PA assessment is vital for understanding trends, sedentary behavior, and program effectiveness.
- Identifying at-risk subgroups for inactivity requires validated, feasible objective measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- Develop valid thresholds for ankle accelerometry in toddlers.
- Examine the feasibility of using ankle accelerometers in community settings.
- Investigate demographic and anthropometric correlates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in low-income toddlers.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted: a laboratory validation study (n=24) and a community-based study (n=277).
- Actical accelerometers were worn on the ankle, with PA assessed using the Child Activity Rating Scale (CARS) in the lab.
- Community study involved >7 days of wear, with data analyzed for feasibility and correlates of MVPA using stepwise multiple linear regression (sMLR).
Main Results:
- Actical accelerometers demonstrated good reliability (r=0.980) and validity (r=0.75) with high sensitivity (86%) and specificity (88%) for PA thresholds.
- Feasibility in the community study was 86% wear rate, with 69% valid data; primary issues were refusal and insufficient wear time.
- MVPA was associated with older age, male gender, higher maternal MVPA, suburban location, and non-Black race; no association with toddler weight status.
Conclusions:
- Ankle accelerometry is a reliable, valid, and feasible tool for assessing toddler PA in community studies, particularly for low-income families.
- Specific subgroups, including younger, female, Black toddlers, those with less active mothers, and urban dwellers, are at higher risk for inactivity.
- Findings highlight the need for targeted PA interventions for at-risk toddler populations.
