Technologies that assess the location of physical activity and sedentary behavior: a systematic review

Background: The location in which physical activity and sedentary behavior are performed can provide valuable behavioral information, both in isolation and synergistically with other areas of physical activity and sedentary behavior research. Global positioning systems (GPS) have been used in physical activity research to identify outdoor location; however, while GPS can receive signals in certain indoor environments, it is not able to provide room- or subroom-level location. On average, adults spend a high proportion of their time indoors. A measure of indoor location would, therefore, provide valuable behavioral information. Objective: This systematic review sought to identify and critique technology which has been or could be used to assess the location of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Methods: To identify published research papers, four electronic databases were searched using key terms built around behavior, technology, and location. To be eligible for inclusion, papers were required to be published in English and describe a wearable or portable technology or device capable of measuring location. Searches were performed up to February 4, 2015. This was supplemented by backward and forward reference searching. In an attempt to include novel devices which may not yet have made their way into the published research, searches were also performed using three Internet search engines. Specialized software was used to download search results and thus mitigate the potential pitfalls of changing search algorithms. Results: A total of 188 research papers met the inclusion criteria. Global positioning systems were the most widely used location technology in the published research, followed by wearable cameras, and radio-frequency identification. Internet search engines identified 81 global positioning systems, 35 real-time locating systems, and 21 wearable cameras. Real-time locating systems determine the indoor location of a wearable tag via the known location of reference nodes. Although the type of reference node and location determination method varies between manufacturers, Wi-Fi appears to be the most popular method. Conclusions: The addition of location information to existing measures of physical activity and sedentary behavior will provide important behavioral information

Novel technology to help understand the context of physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

When used in large, national surveillance programmes, objective measurement tools provide prevalence estimates of low physical activity guideline compliance and high amounts of sedentary time. There are undoubtedly a plethora of reasons for this but one possible contributing factor is the current lack of behavioural context offered by accelerometers and posture sensors. Context includes information such as where the behaviour occurs, the type of activity being performed and is vital in allowing greater refinement of intervention strategies. Novel technologies are emerging with the potential to provide this information. Example data from three ongoing studies is used to illustrate the utility of these technologies. Study one assesses the concurrent validity of electrical energy monitoring and wearable cameras as measures of television viewing. This study found that on average the television is switched on for 202 min d(-1) but is visible in just 90 min of wearable camera images with a further 52 min where the participant is in their living room but the television is not visible in the image. Study two utilises indoor location monitoring to assess where older adult care home residents accumulate their sedentary time. This study found that residents were highly sedentary (sitting for an average of 720 min d(-1)) and spent the majority of their time in their own rooms with more time spent in communal areas in the morning than in the afternoon. Lastly, study three discusses the use of proximity sensors to quantify exposure to a height adjustable desk. These studies are example applications of this technology, with many other technologies available and applications possible. The adoption of these technologies will provide researchers with a more complete understanding of the behaviour than has previously been available

The association between obesity related health risk and fitness test results in the British Army personnel

Objective: In the British Army, fitness is assessed by a load carriage test (Annual Fitness Test, AFT) and by a three event Personal Fitness Assessment (PFA). Body composition based on body mass index (BMI) and abdominal circumference (AC) is also part of a mandatory annual assessment. This study examined the influence of BMI and AC on fitness test results within a comprehensive sample of British Army personnel. Design: Secondary analyse were carried out on data obtained from the 2011 Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) database for 50,635 soldiers (47,173 men and 3,462 women). Methods: Comparisons using loglinear analysis were made between groups of individuals classified by body mass index as obese (≥30 kg/m2) and not obese (<30 kg/m2), and further classified using combined BMI and AC for obesity-related health risks to compare “no risk” with “increased risk.” Results: Not obese or “no risk” soldiers had a significant relationship with success in the AFT (p < 0.01) and PFA (p < 0.01). Of those soldiers who attempted the AFT, 99% of men and 92% of women passed; for the PFA, 92% of men and 91% of women passed. Obese or “at risk” soldiers were more likely to fail and far less likely to take both tests (p < 0.05). Compared to older obese soldiers, young obese soldiers were more likely to attempt the tests. Conclusions: We conclude that BMI and AC are useful indicators of fitness test outcome in the British Army

Assessment of machine learning performance for the detection of activity type in military training [Abstract]

No description supplie

Accuracy of machine learning to determine gait events from electromyography signals

No description supplie