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Assessment of Physical Activity Intensity with Accelerometers and Oxygen Consumption
Published on: June 20, 2025
161
How adherence to the updated physical activity guidelines should be assessed with accelerometer?
Henri Vähä-Ypyä1, Harri Sievänen1, Pauliina Husu1
1The UKK-Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland.
European Journal of Public Health
|August 29, 2022
Summary
Adherence to physical activity (PA) guidelines differs based on whether absolute or relative intensity thresholds are used. Absolute thresholds are better for population studies, while relative thresholds may suit individual exercise advice.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Public Health
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Updated physical activity (PA) guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity weekly.
- Intensity can be defined by absolute metabolic equivalents (METs) or relative to an individual's capacity (oxygen uptake reserve).
- This study assessed adherence to PA guidelines using both absolute and relative intensity thresholds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate adherence to current physical activity (PA) guidelines in adults using both absolute and relative intensity thresholds.
- To compare the impact of absolute versus relative intensity measures on assessing PA guideline adherence.
- To determine the most appropriate threshold method for population-based assessments versus individual exercise prescriptions.
Main Methods:
- A population-based study included 1645 adults aged 20-64 years.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was estimated using the 6-minute walk test; participants with maximal oxygen uptake <7.9 MET were classified as low CRF.
- Participants wore accelerometers for one week to assess PA guideline adherence based on both absolute (METs) and relative (oxygen uptake reserve) thresholds.
Main Results:
- Adequate cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was associated with higher adherence to PA guidelines when using absolute thresholds.
- The use of relative intensity thresholds inverted these findings, showing different adherence patterns.
- Overall adherence varied significantly (20%-99%) depending on the specific accelerometer data analysis parameters and threshold type used.
Conclusions:
- Absolute intensity thresholds are more suitable for assessing physical activity (PA) guideline adherence in population-based studies and interventions.
- Individually determined relative intensity thresholds may be more beneficial for personalized exercise prescriptions and PA counseling.
- The choice of threshold significantly impacts the assessment of PA guideline adherence, highlighting the need for careful consideration in research and practice.
