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Comparing Multiple Approaches to Estimate Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep in Pregnancy
J B Gallagher1, D E Boonstra2, J D Borrowman1
1Department of Health and Human Physiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour
|February 14, 2025
Summary
Estimating 24-hour activity during pregnancy: thigh accelerometer plus diary (PAL + diary) offers acceptable physical activity estimates. Thigh monitor alone (PAL only) is suitable for physical activity focus, but less accurate for sleep and sedentary time.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Physical Activity Measurement
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Accurate measurement of 24-hour activity, including physical activity and sleep, is crucial during pregnancy.
- Existing methods vary in complexity and accuracy, necessitating validation for specific research applications.
- The Pregnancy 24/7 cohort study provides a dataset for evaluating different activity monitoring approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare 24-hour activity estimates from a best-practice method (thigh accelerometer, wrist actigraphy, and sleep diary) against simpler methods.
- To evaluate the accuracy of thigh accelerometer and diary (PAL + diary) and thigh monitor alone (PAL only) for estimating activity during pregnancy.
Main Methods:
- Data from 40 participants in their 2nd trimester of the Pregnancy 24/7 cohort study were analyzed.
- Three approaches were compared: thigh accelerometer with wrist actigraphy and diary (PAL + watch + diary), thigh accelerometer with diary (PAL + diary), and thigh monitor alone (PAL only).
- Repeated measures ANOVA and intraclass correlation coefficients were used to compare moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (LPA), sedentary time, and sleep durations.
Main Results:
- All three approaches showed high consistency for physical activity durations (ICC > .95).
- Estimates for sedentary behavior and sleep durations showed moderate agreement (ICC: .73-.82).
- PAL + diary overestimated MVPA by 2.3 min/day compared to PAL + watch + diary (p < .01). PAL only overestimated sleep (25.3-29.0 min/day) and underestimated MVPA (11.7-14.0 min/day) compared to other methods (p < .01).
Conclusions:
- The PAL + diary method may provide acceptable 24-hour activity estimates during pregnancy, with minimal impact from adding wrist actigraphy for MVPA.
- The PAL only method is suitable for research focused solely on physical activity during pregnancy.
- Careful consideration of the measurement approach is needed based on the specific research outcomes of interest (physical activity vs. sleep/sedentary behavior).
