Measuring physical activity levels in hospitalized patients: a comparison between behavioural mapping and data from...

Area of Science:

• Clinical measurement
• Patient monitoring
• Physical activity assessment

Background:

• Hospitalized patients often experience reduced physical activity, impacting recovery.
• Accurate measurement of physical activity is crucial for understanding patient behavior and optimizing care.
• Behavioral mapping and accelerometry are common methods for assessing physical activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the agreement between behavioral mapping and accelerometry for measuring physical activity in hospitalized patients.
• To compare the accuracy of these two methods in quantifying lying, sitting, and moving behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, single-center observational study involving hospitalized patients.
• Simultaneous measurement of physical activity using behavioral mapping and accelerometry over one day (9 AM to 4 PM).
• Statistical analysis included Bland-Altman method and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) to assess agreement.

Main Results:

• Thirty patients were included, with a mean age of 63.0 years; 18 were men.
• Mean percentages for lying, sitting, and moving were comparable between accelerometry and behavioral mapping (e.g., lying: 47.2% vs. 49.7%).
• High ICC values (0.782–0.852) indicated good agreement, though significant patient-level variations were observed.

Conclusions:

• The behavioral mapping method demonstrates reasonable agreement with accelerometry for assessing physical activity levels in hospitalized patients.
• Both methods effectively capture overall physical activity patterns, but individual variability requires consideration.
• These findings support the use of behavioral mapping as a viable tool for physical activity assessment in clinical settings.