Physical Activity Measurement Reactivity Among Midlife Adults With Elevated Risk for Cardiovascular Disease: Protocol...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in the US.
• Adults aged 40-60 with specific health conditions face elevated CVD risk.
• Accurate physical activity (PA) assessment is crucial for CVD prevention, but measurement reactivity may bias results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the extent of PA measurement reactivity in US adults aged 40-60 with CVD risk factors.
• To identify potential moderators of PA measurement reactivity, such as gender and study expectations.

Main Methods:

• Coordinated multilevel analyses across six studies, including publicly available datasets (NHANES, MIDUS) and behavioral weight loss trials.
• Data from 1832 adults (aged 40-60) with at least one CVD risk factor, encompassing 11,707 days of PA measurement.
• Two-level multilevel models examining daily PA changes and cross-level interactions for moderation effects.

Main Results:

• Dataset acquisition and cleaning completed October 2024.
• Analyses are scheduled for completion by April 2025.
• Findings are expected to be disseminated in July 2025.

Conclusions:

• This project will offer the first large-scale estimation of PA measurement reactivity in a high-risk population.
• Results will guide the development of best practices for PA measurement in clinical trials and observational studies.
• Improved PA assessment can lead to more effective CVD prevention strategies.