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Reproducibility in measuring physical activity in children and adolescents with an acquired brain injury
Emmah Baque1, Lee Barber1, Leanne Sakzewski1
1a Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, UQ Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , Australia.
Insights
Accelerometers reliably measure physical activity in children with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) during standardized tasks and community-based monitoring. This technology provides reproducible data for therapists working with this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric rehabilitation
- Biomedical engineering
- Movement science
Background:
- Children with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) often experience motor impairments affecting physical activity.
- Accurate measurement of physical activity is crucial for rehabilitation and monitoring health outcomes in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reproducibility of physical activity measurements using the ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer in children with ABI.
- To assess the reliability of accelerometry for both standardized tasks and free-living conditions.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-two children with ABI performed standardized walking and stepping tasks over two consecutive days while wearing an accelerometer.
- Fifty-one children with ABI wore an accelerometer for four days during community-based activities to assess moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) variability.
- Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and reliability coefficients were calculated.
Main Results:
- Excellent test-re-test reproducibility was found for all standardized activities, with ICCs ranging from 0.83 to 0.91.
- Three days of community monitoring provided excellent variability estimates for MVPA (R = 0.78).
Conclusions:
- Accelerometry demonstrates high reproducibility for measuring physical activity in children with ABI under standardized and community conditions.
- Therapists can confidently utilize accelerometers for assessing physical activity in children with ABI, aiding in treatment planning and progress monitoring.
Aim:
To examine the reproducibility in measurement of physical activity performance using the ActiGraph® GT3X+ accelerometer in children aged 8-16 years with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).
Methods:
Reproducibility of standardized tasks: Thirty-two children with ABI (12 years 1 month, SD = 2 years 4 months; 20 males; Gross Motor Function Classification System I = 17, II = 15) performed the following activities on 2 consecutive days while wearing an accelerometer and a heart rate monitor: quiet sitting, slow walking (SW), moderate walking (MW), fast walking (FW) and rapid stepping on/off a block (STEP). Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. Performance variability: Fifty-one participants (12 years 1 month, SD = 2 years 5 months; 27 males; GMFCS I = 26, II = 25) wore an accelerometer for 4 days in the community and reliability coefficients were calculated using standardized 12-hour time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
Results:
Test-re-test reproducibility was excellent for all activities (SW, ICC = 0.90; MW, ICC = 0.83; FW, ICC = 0.91; STEP, ICC = 0.89). Three days of monitoring produced excellent variability estimates of MVPA (R = 0.78).
Conclusion:
Therapists can confidently use accelerometry as a reproducible measure of physical activity under standardized walking and stepping conditions, as well as in the community for children with ABI.
