Individuals Underestimate Moderate and Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity Objectively measured light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with lower depression levels among older US adults Physical activity combined with resistance training reduces symptoms of frailty in older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Accelerometer-measured dose-response for physical activity, sedentary time, and mortality in US adults. Accelerometer-measured sedentary time and physical activity-A 15 year follow-up of mortality in a Swedish population-based cohort. Hippocampal Response to a 24-Month Physical Activity Intervention in Sedentary Older Adults. Impact of accelerometer wear time on physical activity data: a NHANES semisimulation data approach Postdischarge Light-Intensity Physical Activity Predicts Rehospitalization of Older Japanese Patients With Heart Failure Cluster randomized controlled trial of a multilevel physical activity intervention for older adults Effects of habitual physical activity on response to endurance training Telephone support oriented by accelerometric measurements enhances adherence to physical activity recommendations in noncompliant patients after a cardiac rehabilitation program. Walk well: a randomised controlled trial of a walking intervention for adults with intellectual disabilities: study protocol How many hours are enough? Accelerometer wear time may provide bias in daily activity estimates. Effectiveness of the ‘Girls Active’ school-based physical activity programme: A cluster randomised controlled trial A comparison of questionnaire, accelerometer, and pedometer: measures in older people. Effects of message framing on self-report and accelerometer-assessed physical activity across age and gender groups. Effects of multidomain lifestyle intervention, omega-3 supplementation or their combination on physical activity levels in older adults: secondary analysis of the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT) randomised controlled trial Objectively measured physical activity is associated with parameters of bone in 70-year-old men and women. Wearable Sensor/Device (Fitbit One) and SMS Text-Messaging Prompts to Increase Physical Activity in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. An overview of the "Positive Action for Today's Health" (PATH) trial for increasing walking in low income, ethnic minority communities. Vitamin d and physical activity status: associations with five-year changes in body composition and muscle function in community-dwelling older adults. Short- and Long-Term Effects of Balance Training on Physical Activity in Older Adults With Osteoporosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity and Weight Outcomes: Does Every Minute Count?
Background It is unclear whether the common physical activity ( PA ) intensity descriptors used in PA guidelines worldwide align with the associated percent heart rate maximum method used for prescribing relative PA intensities consistently between sexes , ethnicities , age categories and across body mass index ( BMI ) classifications . Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine whether individuals properly select light , moderate and vigorous intensity PA using the intensity descriptions in PA guidelines and determine if there are differences in estimation across sex , ethnicity , age and BMI classifications . Methods 129 adults were instructed to walk/jog at a “ light , ” “ moderate ” and “ vigorous effort ” in a r and omized order . The PA intensities were categorized as being below , at or above the following % HRmax ranges of : 50–63 % for light , 64–76 % for moderate and 77–93 % for vigorous effort . Results On average , people correctly estimated light effort as 51.5±8.3%HRmax but underestimated moderate effort as 58.7±10.7%HRmax and vigorous effort as 69.9±11.9%HRmax . Participants walked at a light intensity ( 57.4±10.5%HRmax ) when asked to walk at a pace that provided health benefits , wherein 52 % of participants walked at a light effort pace , 19 % walked at a moderate effort and 5 % walked at a vigorous effort pace . These results did not differ by sex , ethnicity or BMI class . However , younger adults  underestimated moderate and vigorous intensity more so than middle-aged adults ( P<0.05 ) . Conclusion When the common PA guideline descriptors were aligned with the associated % HRmax ranges , the majority of participants underestimated the intensity of PA that is needed to obtain health benefits . Thus , new subjective descriptions for moderate and vigorous intensity may be warranted to aid individuals in correctly interpreting PA intensities Objectives : We have a limited underst and ing of the epidemiological association between objective ly measured physical activity and  depression among older adults . Therefore , the purpose of this study was to examine the association between accelerometer-assessed physical activity and depression symptoms among a nationally representative sample of US older adults . Methods : Data from the 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used . 708 older adults ( 65 + years ) wore an ActiGraph 7164 accelerometer for at least 4 days , and completed data on the study covariates along with depression , as assessed by the Patient Health Question naire-9 . Results : After controlling for age , gender , race-ethnicity , body mass index , marital status , education , comorbidity index , and physical functioning , for every 60-minute increase in light-intensity physical activity , participants were 20 % ( OR = 0.80 ; 95 % CI : 0.67–0.95 ; p = 0.01 ) less likely to be depressed . Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was also inversely associated with depression ( OR = 0.78 ; 95 % CI : 0.64–0.94 ; p = 0.01 ) . Conclusion : These findings suggest that promoting physical activity , even light-intensity physical activity , may have positive mental health effects  among older adults . Future prospect i ve and experimental studies are warranted INTRODUCTION Increased physical activity ( PA ) is a crucial factor in the prevention of physical deterioration , and resistance training ( RT ) is also a common and effective intervention for older adults . However , the effects of PA as an adjunct to RT on frailty status remains unclear ; therefore , we clarified the effect of a PA intervention with feedback , as an adjunct to resistance strength training , on the physical and mental outcomes of frail older adults . MATERIAL S AND METHODS We employed a r and omized controlled trial . Community-dwelling frail older adults in Japan were recruited to participate . Forty-one participants ( mean age 81.5 ) were r and omly assigned to engage in a resistance training with PA ( RPA group ) or RT group for six months . Frailty status and frailty scores , which were measured according to the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria -muscle strength , mobility , instrumental activities of daily living , and health-related quality of life-were assessed . RESULTS Participants in the RPA group exhibited a significant increase in light-intensity PA , the number of steps taken daily ( p < 0.05 ) , and lower-limb muscle strength ( p < 0.05 ) and a significant decrease in frailty scores . However , pre- and postintervention frailty status , instrumental activities of daily living , and health-related quality of life did not differ significantly . CONCLUSIONS Implementation of a PA intervention as an adjunct to RT is feasible , as it reduced frailty scores and increased lower-limb muscle strength and mobility in older adults with frailty symptoms BACKGROUND Moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity is recommended to maintain and improve health , but the mortality benefits of light activity and risk for sedentary time remain uncertain . OBJECTIVES Using accelerometer-based measures , we 1 ) described the mortality dose-response for sedentary time and light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity using restricted cubic splines , and 2 ) estimated the mortality benefits associated with replacing sedentary time with physical activity , accounting for total activity . DESIGN US adults ( n = 4840 ) from NHANES ( 2003 - 2006 ) wore an accelerometer for ≤7 d and were followed prospect ively for mortality . Proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted HRs and 95 % CIs for mortality associations with time spent sedentary and in light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity . Splines were used to graphically present behavior-mortality relation . Isotemporal models estimated replacement associations for sedentary time , and separate models were fit for low- ( < 5.8 h total activity/d ) and high-active participants to account for nonlinear associations . RESULTS Over a mean of 6.6 y , 700 deaths occurred . Compared with less-sedentary adults ( 6 sedentary h/d ) , those who spent 10 sedentary h/d had 29 % greater risk ( HR : 1.29 ; 95 % CI : 1.1 , 1.5 ) . Compared with those who did less light activity ( 3 h/d ) , those who did 5 h of light activity/d had 23 % lower risk ( HR : 0.77 ; 95 % CI : 0.6 , 1.0 ) . There was no association with mortality for sedentary time or light or moderate-to-vigorous activity in highly active adults . In less-active adults , replacing 1 h of sedentary time with either light- or moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity was associated with 18 % and 42 % lower mortality , respectively . CONCLUSIONS Health promotion efforts for physical activity have mostly focused on moderate-to-vigorous activity . However , our findings derived from accelerometer-based measurements suggest that increasing light-intensity activity and reducing sedentary time are also important , particularly for inactive adults OBJECTIVES To investigate the associations of objective ly assessed sedentary time , light intensity physical activity ( PA ) , moderate to vigorous intensity PA ( MVPA ) , and total PA with all-cause mortality and mortality from cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) or cancer in a Swedish population -based cohort with 15 years follow-up time . DESIGN Longitudinal prospect i ve cohort study . METHODS Data from 851 persons ( 56 % women ) ≥35 years at baseline were included . Primary exposure variables were  time ( min/day ) spent sedentary , in light intensity PA and in MVPA , and total counts from an Actigraph 7164 accelerometer . Data on all-cause mortality and mortality from CVD or cancer were obtained from Swedish registers . Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios ( HR ) of mortality with 95 % confidence intervals ( CI ) . RESULTS Compared with the least sedentary participants , those in the most sedentary tertile had an increased risk of all-cause mortality , HR : 2.7 ( 1.4 , 5.3 ) , CVD mortality , HR : 5.5 ( 1.4 , 21.2 ) and cancer mortality , HR : 4.3 ( 1.2 , 16.0 ) . For all-cause mortality , those in the highest light intensity PA tertile had a HR 0.34 ( 0.17 , 0.67 ) compared with the lowest tertile . A similar pattern was found for CVD and cancer mortality . More time spent in MVPA was associated with the largest risk reduction for CVD mortality , with an almost 90 % lower risk in the tertile with the most time in MVPA . CONCLUSIONS This study confirms a strong inverse relationship between MVPA and mortality , and adds new insight for the underst and ing of the associations between sedentary time  and light intensity PA  and mortality BACKGROUND Greater hippocampal volume is observed in healthy older adults after short-term structured exercise . Whether long-term exposure to real-world physical activity ( PA ) programs has similar effects for sedentary older adults with impaired mobility and comorbid conditions is not known . HYPOTHESIS A long-term moderate intensity regimen of PA is related to larger volume of the hippocampus in older adults at risk for mobility disability . We further explore whether these associations are modified by factors known to be related to dementia . METHODS Twenty-six sedentary adults at risk for mobility disability participated in a 24-month r and omized intervention program of physical activity ( PA , N = 10 , age : 74.9 years , 7 women ) or health education ( HE , N = 16 , age : 76.8 years , 14 women ) . Volumes of total hippocampus , dentate gyrus , and cornu ammonis were measured at baseline and at 24-month follow-up using 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging . Between-group volumetric differences at 24 months were adjusted for sessions attended and baseline volumes . The contribution of each dementia-related factor was tested separately for education , APOE , diabetes , cardiovascular diseases , white matter hyperintensities , and brain atrophy . RESULTS Between-group differences were significant for left hippocampus , left cornu ammonis , and right hippocampus . Adjustment for regional baseline volume attenuated the associations to statistically nonsignificant for right hippocampus and left conru ammonis ; associations for left hippocampus were robust for all adjustments . Results were similar after adjustment for dementia-related factors . CONCLUSIONS In this group of sedentary older adults there was a hippocampal response to a long-term program of moderate-intensity PA . Future studies should examine whether hippocampal response could explain the beneficial effects of PA on cognition for vulnerable older adults Background Current research practice employs wide-ranging accelerometer wear time criteria to identify a valid day of  physical activity ( PA ) measurement . Objective To evaluate the effects of varying amounts of daily accelerometer wear time on PA data . Methods A total of 1000 days of accelerometer data from 1000 participants ( age=38.7±14.3 years ; body mass index=28.2±6.7 kg/m2 ) were selected from the 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Study data set . A reference data set was created using 200 r and om days with 14 h/day of wear time . Four additional sample s of 200 days were r and omly selected with a wear time of 10 , 11 , 12 and 13 h/day1 . These data sets were used in day-to-day comparison to create four semisimulation data sets ( 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 h/day ) from the reference data set . Differences in step count and time spent in inactivity ( < 100 cts/min ) , light ( 100–1951 cts/min ) , moderate ( 1952–5724 cts/min ) and vigorous ( ≥5725 cts/min ) intensity PA were assessed using repeated- measures analysis of variance and absolute percent error ( APE ) . Results There were significant differences for moderate intensity PA between the reference data set and semisimulation data sets of 10 and 11 h/day . Differences were observed in 10–13 h/day1 for inactivity and light intensity PA , and 10–12 h/day for steps ( all p values < 0.05 ) . APE increased with shorter wear time ( 13 h/day=3.9–14.1 % ; 12 h/day=9.9–15.2 % , 11 h/day=17.1–35.5 % ; 10 h/day=24.6–40.3 % ) . Discussion These data suggest that using accelerometer wear time criteria of 12 h/day or less may underestimate step count and time spent in various PA levels Purpose : Regular physical activity ( PA ) is recommended for patients with heart failure ( HF ) . However , the clinical and social characteristics of older HF patients with low-level PA  and the impact of light-intensity PA on 6-mo postdischarge adverse cardiovascular events are still unclear . Methods : Forty-one older patients who had been admitted because of decompensated HF ( American College of Cardiology [ACC]/American Heart Association [ AHA ] HF classification stage C/D : 76 ± 5 y ) were prospect ively enrolled . Light-intensity ( 1.5 - 2.9 metabolic equivalents [ METs ] ) and moderate-intensity ( ≥3 METs ) PAs were determined by triaxial accelerometry for at least 7 d postdischarge .  Six-min walk distance and 36-item Short Form question naire ( SF-36 ) score were evaluated at discharge . HF patients were stratified into either the HFPA-high or HFPA-low group according to median daily PA . Twenty-nine older ACC/AHA stage A/B out patients ( HF-risk ) , who were at risk for HF but no symptoms of HF had developed , also completed these assessment s. Clinical predictors for 6-mo postdischarge HF rehospitalization were assessed . Results : HF patients were anemic and less active . HFPA-low patients were less likely to engage in household work , took fewer steps , and had less light and moderate-intensity PA than HFPA-high patients . There were no differences in 6-min walk distance , SF-36 score , or left ventricular ejection fraction between HFPA-low and HFPA-high patients . Postdischarge PA , especially light-intensity PA  , was independently associated with HF rehospitalization . Conclusion : Low volume of PA postdischarge , especially at 1.5 to 2.9 METs , predicts 6-mo postdischarge HF rehospitalization in older HF patients Background Older adults are the least active population group . Interventions in residential setting s may support a multi-level approach to behavior change . Methods In a cluster r and omized control trial , 11 San Diego retirement communities were assigned to a physical activity ( PA ) intervention or a healthy aging attention control condition .  Participants were 307 adults over 65 years old . The multilevel PA intervention was delivered with the assistance of peer leaders , who were trained older adult from the retirement communities . Intervention components included individual counseling & self-monitoring with pedometers , group education sessions , group walks , community advocacy and pedestrian community change projects . Intervention condition by time interactions were tested using generalized mixed effects regressions . The primary outcomes was accelerometer measured physical activity . Secondary outcomes were blood pressure and objective ly measured physical functioning . Results Over 70 % of the sample were 80 years or older .  PA  significantly increased in the intervention condition ( 56 min of moderate-vigorous PA per week ; 119 min of light PA ) compared with the control condition and remained significantly higher across the 12 month study . Men and participants under 84 years old benefited most from the intervention . There was a significant decrease in systolic ( p < .007 ) and diastolic ( p < .02 ) blood pressure at 6 months . Physical functioning improved but the changes were not statistically significant . Conclusions Intervention fidelity was high demonstrating feasibility . Changes in PA and blood pressure achieved were comparable to other studies with much younger participants . Men , in particular , avoided a year-long decline in PA.Trial registration clincialtrials.gov Identifier : NCT01155011 Abstract We hypothesised that habitual physical activity ( PA ) together with progressive endurance training contributes to the differences in training response ( Δ[Vdot]O2max ) in healthy and physically active male participants . Twenty volunteers ( age 30±3 years and [Vdot]O2max 54±7 ml·kg−1·min−1 ) participated in an eight-week training program which included four to six heart rate-guided exercise sessions weekly . PA  data over the whole period were collected by an accelerometer-equipped wristwatch . Individual relative intensities of endurance training and PA were separately determined by adjusting to [Vdot]O2max reserve and calculated as mean daily duration ( min ) of training and PA at light , moderate , high and very high intensity levels . [Vdot]O2max increased 6.4±4.1 % ( p < 0.0001 ) during the training period . Δ[Vdot]O2max correlated with the amount of habitual PA that was mainly of light intensity ( r = 0.53 , p = 0.016 ) , but not with the duration of moderate , high or very high intensity PA ( p = ns for all ) . Age , body mass index , and daily amount of training at any intensity level of exercise were not related to Δ[Vdot]O2max ( p = ns for all ) . In conclusion , a high amount of habitual PA together with prescribed endurance training was associated with good training response in physically active males OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of a strategy , based on telephone support oriented by accelerometer measurements , on the adherence to physical activity ( PA ) recommendations in cardiac patients not achieving PA recommendations . DESIGN Prospect i ve and r and omized study . SETTING A cardiac rehabilitation program ( CRP ) at a clinic . PARTICIPANTS Stable , noncompliant cardiac ( coronary artery disease , heart failure , post-cardiovascular surgery ) patients ( weekly moderate-intensity PA < 150 min ) were r and omly assigned to an intervention group ( n=19 ) or a control group ( n=10 ) . INTERVENTIONS The intervention group wore an accelerometer for 8 weeks . Every 15 days , feedback and support were provided by telephone . The control group wore the accelerometer during the 8th week of the intervention only . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Active energy expenditure ( EE ) ( in kilocalories ) and the time spent doing light , moderate , or intense PA ( minutes per week ) . RESULTS In the intervention group , the time spent at moderate-intensity PA increased from 95.6±80.7 to 137.2±87.5 min/wk between the 1st and 8th week ( P=.002 ) , with 36.8 % of the sample achieving the target amount of moderate-intensity PA . During the 8th week , the EE averaged 543.7±144.1 kcal and 266.7±107.4 kcal in the intervention group and control group , respectively ( P=.004 ) . CONCLUSIONS Telephone support based on accelerometer recordings appeared to be an effective strategy to improve adherence to PA in noncompliant patients . This intervention could be implemented after a CRP as an inexpensive , modern , and easy-to-use strategy Background Walking interventions have been shown to have a positive impact on physical activity ( PA ) levels , health and wellbeing for adult and older adult population s. There has been very little work carried out to explore the effectiveness of walking interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities . This paper will provide details of the Walk Well intervention , design ed for adults with intellectual disabilities , and a r and omised controlled trial ( RCT ) to test its effectiveness . Methods / design This study will adopt a RCT design , with participants allocated to the walking intervention group or a waiting list control group . The intervention consists of three PA consultations ( baseline , six weeks and 12 weeks ) and an individualised 12 week walking programme . A range of measures will be completed by participants at baseline , post intervention ( three months from baseline ) and at follow up ( three months post intervention and six months from baseline ) . All outcome measures will be collected by a research er who will be blinded to the study groups . The primary outcome will be steps walked per day , measured using accelerometers . Secondary outcome measures will include time spent in PA per day ( across various intensity levels ) , time spent in sedentary behaviour per day , quality of life , self-efficacy and anthropometric measures to monitor weight change . Discussion Since there are currently no published RCTs of walking interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities , this RCT will examine if a walking intervention can successfully increase PA , health and wellbeing of adults with intellectual disabilities . Trial registration IS RCT N : IS RCT BACKGROUND There is little consensus on how many hours of accelerometer wear time is needed to reflect a usual day . This study identifies the bias in daily physical activity ( PA ) estimates caused by accelerometer wear time . METHODS 124 adults ( age = 41 ± 11 years ; BMI = 27 ± 7 kg·m⁻² ) contributed approximately 1,200 days accelerometer wear time .  Five 40 day sample s were r and omly selected with 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 h·d⁻¹ of wear time . Four semisimulation data sets ( 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 h·d⁻¹ ) were created from the reference 14 h·d⁻¹ data set to assess Absolute Percent Error ( APE ) . Repeated- measures ANOVAs compared min·d⁻¹ between 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 h·d⁻¹ and the reference 14 h·d⁻¹ for inactivity ( < 100 cts·min⁻¹ ) , light ( 100 - 1951 cts·min⁻¹ ) , moderate ( 1952 - 5724 cts·min⁻¹ ) , and vigorous ( ≥5725 cts·min⁻¹ ) PA . RESULTS APE ranged from 5.6%-41.6 % ( 10 h·d⁻¹ = 28.2%-41.6 % ; 11 h·d⁻¹ = 20.3%-36.0 % ; 12 h·d⁻¹ = 13.5%-14.3 % ; 13 h·d⁻¹ = 5.6%-7.8 % ) . Min·d⁻¹ differences were observed for inactivity , light , and moderate PA between 10 , 11 , 12 , and 13 h·d⁻¹ and the reference ( P < .05 ) . CONCLUSIONS This suggests a minimum accelerometer wear time of 13 h·d⁻¹ is needed to provide a valid measure of daily PA when 14 h·d⁻¹ is used as a reference Background Globally , adolescent girls ’  physical activity ( PA ) levels are low . The ‘ Girls Active ’ secondary school-based programme , developed by the Youth Sport Trust , aims to increase PA in adolescent girls . This paper explores the effectiveness of the ‘ Girls Active ’ school-based PA programme . Methods A r and om sample of girls aged 11–14 from 20 secondary schools ( Midl and s , UK ) participated in a two-arm cluster r and omised controlled trial . Ten schools received Girls Active and 10 continued with usual practice . Measurements were taken at baseline , seven- and 14-month follow-up . Primary outcome : wrist-worn accelerometer measured moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA ( MVPA ) .  Secondary outcomes : overall PA , light PA , sedentary time , body composition , and psychosocial outcomes . Generalised estimating equations , adjusted for school cluster and potential confounders , were used and A priori subgroup analysis was undertaken . Micro-costing and cost-consequence analyses were conducted using bespoke collection methods on programme delivery information . Outcomes for the cost-consequence analysis were health related quality of life measured by the Child Health Utility-9D and service use . Results Overall , 1752 pupils participated , 1211 ( 69.1 % ) provided valid 14-month accelerometer data . No difference in MVPA ( mins/day ; 95 % confidence intervals ) was found at 14 months ( 1.7 ; -0.8 to 4.3 ) , there was at seven months ( 2.4 ; 0.1 to 4.7 ) . Subgroup analyses showed significant intervention effects on 14-month in larger schools ( 3.9 ; 1.39 to 6.09 ) and in White Europeans ( 3.1 ; 0.60 to 6.02 ) and in early maturers ( 5.1 ; 1.69 to 8.48 ) at seven months . The control group did better in smaller schools at 14-months ( -4.38 ; -7.34 to -1.41 ) . Significant group differences were found in 14-month identified motivation ( -0.09 ; -0.18 to -0.01 ) and at seven months in : overall PA ( 1.39 mg/day ; 0.1 to 2.2 ) , after-school sedentary time ( -4.7 ; -8.9 to -0.6 ) , whole day ( 5.7 ; 1.0 to 10.5 ) and school day ( 4.5 ; 0.25 to 8.75 ) light PA , self-esteem . Small , statistically significant , differences in some psychosocial variables favoured control schools . Micro-costing demonstrated that delivering the programme result ed in a range of time and financial costs at each school . Cost-consequence analysis demonstrated no effect of the programme for health related quality of life or service use . Conclusions Compared with usual practice , ‘ Girls Active ’ did not affect 14-month MVPA.Trial registration IS RCT PURPOSE To compare ( i ) the convergent validity of the self-report Zutphen Physical Activity Question naire with the 7-d objective physical activity ( PA ) measurement by accelerometers and pedometers and ( ii ) the construct validity of these measures by examining their associations with physical health and psychological and anthropometric variables . METHODS Five hundred and sixty community-dwelling people aged > or = 65 yr were invited from a UK primary care practice and 238 ( 43 % ) participated ( mean age = 74 , 53 % male ) .  PA was assessed subjectively by the Zutphen question naire ( modified to include housework questions ) and objective ly by the 7-d accelerometer monitoring : a r and om half also had a pedometer . A question naire assessed health , disability , and psychological factors , and anthropometric assessment was performed . RESULTS Mean daily PA levels were as follows : Zutphen = 9.1 kcal x kg(-1 ) x d(-1 ) ( SD = 6.6 kcal x kg(-1 ) x d(-1 ) ) ; accelerometer activity count = 226,648 ( SD = 121,966 ) ; accelerometer step count = 6495 ( SD = 3212 ) ; and pedometer step count = 6712 ( SD = 3526 ) . Zutphen score was moderately correlated with accelerometer activity count ( R = 0.34 , P < 0.001 ) and pedometer step count ( R = 0.36 , P < 0.001 ) . Pedometer step count was highly correlated with accelerometer activity count ( R = 0.82 , P < 0.001 ) and accelerometer step count ( R = 0.86 , P < 0.001 ) . Objective PA measures showed strong associations with health and anthropometric and psychological variables . Zutphen score was not significantly related to most health or anthropometric measures but was associated with psychological variables and provided information about activity type . CONCLUSIONS Convergent validity was strong between accelerometers and pedometers but weaker between these and self-report Zutphen . Pedometers may be preferred to accelerometers for simple studies due to their lower cost . Objective measures had better construct validity , being more strongly associated with established PA determinants , and thus offered better value to research ers than the question naire , but the latter provided useful detail on activity type , so a combined approach to PA assessment may be preferable This study compared message-framing effects on physical activity ( PA ) across age and gender groups . Participants included 111 younger and 100 older adults ( 68 % were women ) , r and omly assigned to read gain-framed or loss-framed PA messages in promotion pamphlets , and who wore accelerometers for the following 14 days . Using regression analyses controlling for demographic and health factors , we found significant age-by-gender-by-framing interactions predicting self-report ( B = -4.39 , p = .01 ) and accelerometer-assessed PA ( B = -2.44 , p = .02 ) during the follow-up period . Gain-framed messages were more effective than loss-framed messages in promoting PA behaviors only among older men . We speculated that the age-related positivity effect , as well as the age and gender differences in issue involvement , explained the group differences in framing . In addition , more time availability and higher self-efficacy among older men might have contributed to the results Background / objectives to investigate the effects of a 3-year multidomain lifestyle intervention , omega-3 supplementation or both on  physical activity  ( PA ) in older adults with subjective memory complaints . Design / setting s/subjects the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial was a 3-year r and omised controlled trial that enroled 1,680 community-dwelling adults aged 70 years or over , with subjective memory complaints . Participants were r and omised to omega-3 supplementation ( total daily dose of 800 mg docosahexanoic acid and up to 225 mg eicosapentanoic acid ) , multidomain intervention ( nutritional and exercise counselling and cognitive training ) , omega-3 plus multidomain intervention or placebo with usual care . Methods PA was assessed using a self-reported question naire . From this , global moderate-to-vigorous PA , leisure-time PA , non-leisure-time PA and light PA were measured in metabolic equivalent tasks-minutes per week ( MET-min/week ) . Results in the multidomain groups , participants significantly increased their moderate-to-vigorous and leisure-time PA at 6 months ( ≥300 MET-min/week for both in the multidomain groups ; P ≤ 0.002 ) before returning to baseline by the end of the trial . Activity in the placebo/usual care and omega-3/usual care groups declined overtime . Between-group differences remained significant for both multidomain groups for leisure-time physical activity at 2- and 3-year follow-ups . Compared to placebo/usual care , interventions had no significant effects on non-leisure-time PA and light PA . Omega-3 supplementation alone had no effects on PA . Conclusions a multidomain intervention focused on cognitive training , and nutritional and PA counselling increased PA in the short-term and limited its decline in the long-term among older adults with memory complaints . Clinical Trials.gov- Registration number : NCT0067268 As the world 's population ages , the occurrence of osteoporosis-related fractures is projected to increase . Low areal bone mineral density ( aBMD ) , a well-known risk factor for fractures , may be influenced by physical activity ( PA ) . In this cross-sectional study , we aim ed to investigate potential associations between objective measures of PA and bone properties , in a population -based cohort of 1228 70-year-old men and women . We measured volumetric BMD ( vBMD , mg/cm(3 ) ) together with cross-sectional area ( CSA , mm(2 ) ) by peripheral quantitative computed tomography at sites located 4 % and 66 % in the distal-proximal trajectory at the tibia and radius . We also measured aBMD ( g/cm(2 ) ) by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry at the femoral neck , lumbar spine ( L1-L4 ) and radius . Participants wore triaxial accelerometers for 7 consecutive days to obtain objective estimates of PA . The intensity of the objective PA was divided into light ( 100 - 1951 counts/min [ CPM ] ) , moderate ( 1952 - 5724 cpm ) and vigorous ( ≥ 5725 cpm ) . Maximal accelerations for the anterior-posterior ( z ) , medio-lateral ( x ) , and vertical ( y ) axes were also separately assessed . Associations were investigated using bivariate correlations and multiple linear regression , adjusted for height , weight and sex . Vigorous PA showed the strongest association with femoral neck aBMD ( β=0.09 , p<0.001 ) , while both moderate and vigorous PAs were associated with cortical area and trabecular vBMD in the weight-bearing tibia ( all p<0.05 ) . Peak vertical accelerations were associated significantly with cortical area ( β=0.09 , p<0.001 ) and trabecular vBMD ( β=0.09 , p=0.001 ) of the tibia , whereas peak anterior-posterior accelerations showed no correlation with these properties . No positive association was found between objective ly measured PA and bone parameters of the radius . In conclusion , vertical accelerations and moderate to vigorous PA  independently predict bone properties , especially in the weight-bearing tibia , in 70-year-old men and women BACKGROUND Studies have shown self-monitoring can modify health behaviors , including physical activity ( PA ) . This study tested the utility of a wearable sensor/device ( Fitbit ( ® ) One ™ ; Fitbit Inc. , San Francisco , CA ) and short message service ( SMS ) text-messaging prompts to  increase PA  in overweight and obese adults . MATERIAL S AND METHODS Sixty-seven adults wore a Fitbit One tracker for 6 weeks ; half were r and omized to also receive three daily SMS-based PA prompts . The Fitbit One consisted of a wearable tracker for instant feedback on performance and a Web site/mobile application ( app ) for detailed summaries . Outcome measures were objective ly measured steps and minutes of PA by intensity using two accelerometers : Actigraph ™ ( Pensacola , FL ) GT3X+ ( primary measure ) at baseline and Week 6 and Fitbit One ( secondary measure ) at baseline and Weeks 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 . RESULTS Mixed-model repeated- measures analysis of primary measures indicated a significant within-group increase of + 4.3 ( st and ard error [SE]=2.0 ) min/week of moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA ( MVPA ) at 6-week follow-up ( p=0.04 ) in the comparison group ( Fitbit only ) , but no study group differences across PA levels . Secondary measures indicated the SMS text-messaging effect lasted for only 1 week : the intervention group increased by + 1,266 steps ( SE=491 ; p=0.01 ) , + 17.8 min/week MVPA ( SE=8.5 ; p=0.04 ) , and + 38.3 min/week total PA ( SE=15.9 ; p=0.02 ) compared with no changes in the comparison group , and these between-group differences were significant for steps ( p=0.01 ) , fairly/very active minutes ( p<0.01 ) , and total active minutes ( p=0.02 ) . CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the Fitbit One achieved a small increase in MVPA at follow-up and that the SMS-based PA prompts were insufficient in increasing PA beyond 1 week . Future studies can test this intervention in those requiring less help and /or test strategies to increase participants ' engagement levels BACKGROUND Ethnic minorities and lower-income adults have among the highest rates of obesity and lowest levels of regular physical activity ( PA ) . The Positive Action for Today 's Health ( PATH ) trial compares three communities that are r and omly assigned to different levels of an environmental intervention to improve safety and access for walking in low income communities . DESIGN AND SETTING Three communities matched on census tract information ( crime , PA , ethnic minorities , and income ) were r and omized to receive either : an intervention that combines a police-patrolled-walking program with social marketing strategies to promote PA , a police-patrolled-walking only intervention , or no-walking intervention ( general health education only ) . Measures include PA ( 7-day accelerometer estimates ) , body composition , blood pressure , psychosocial measures , and perceptions of safety and access for PA at baseline , 6 , 12 , 18 , and 24 months . INTERVENTION The police-patrolled walking plus social marketing intervention targets increasing safety ( training community leaders as walking captains , hiring off-duty police officers to patrol the walking trail , and containing stray dogs ) , increasing access for PA ( marking a walking route ) , and utilizes a social marketing campaign that targets psychosocial and environmental mediators for increasing PA . MAIN HYPOTHESES/ OUTCOMES : It is hypothesized that the police-patrolled walking plus social marketing intervention will result in greater increases in moderate-to-vigorous PA as compared to the police-patrolled-walking only or the general health intervention after 12 months and that this effect will be maintained at 18 and 24 months . CONCLUSIONS Implication s of this community-based trial are discussed CONTEXT High vitamin D and physical activity ( PA ) levels are independently associated with improved body composition and muscle function in older adults . OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the interaction of 25-hydroxyvitamin D ( 25OHD ) and PA status in maintenance of body composition and muscle function in older adults . DESIGN AND SETTING This was a 5-year prospect i ve population -based study of Australian community-dwelling older adults . PARTICIPANTS Participants in the study included 615 community-dwelling volunteers aged 50 years old or older [ 61.4 ± 6.9 ( mean ± SD ) y ; 48 % female ] r and omly selected from electoral rolls and categorized according to baseline serum 25OHD ( ≥ or < 50 nmol/L ) and PA ( ≥ or < 10,000 pedometer determined steps/d ) levels as follows : high 25OHD and high PA ( VitD+PA+ ) ; high 25OHD and low PA ( VitD+PA- ) ; low 25OHD and high PA ( VitD-PA+ ) ; and low 25OHD and low PA ( VitD-PA- ) . A subset of 518 participants completed accelerometer assessment s during follow-up . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Changes in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-assessed body composition and lower-limb muscle function were measured . RESULTS VitD+PA+ had significantly smaller increases in body fat over 5 years compared with other groups ( all P < .05 ) . Higher baseline pedometer-determined PA result ed in declines in total body fat ( β = -.23 kg per 100 steps/d , P = .001 ) over 5 years for participants with high 25OHD but not those with low 25OHD ( P > .05 ) . Among participants with accelerometer data , these associations were generally mediated by higher levels of moderate/vigorous PA . CONCLUSIONS High vitamin D status appears to enhance PA-related declines in body fat during aging , but the mechanism may be greater amounts of outdoor moderate/vigorous PA rather than a direct effect of 25OHD Background and Purpose : We have developed a 12-week balance training program for older adults shown to improve fall-related concerns , gait speed , balance performance , and physical function . We hypothesized that this balance training would also contribute to higher habitual physical activity ( PA ) levels and improved health-related quality of life ( HRQoL ) . The primary aim was to evaluate short- and long-term effects of the balance training program on objective ly measured habitual PA in older adults with osteoporosis . Secondary aims were to assess the effects of the balance training on HRQoL , and to study whether any effects on PA were associated with changes in HRQoL , gait speed , balance performance , fall-related concerns , and physical function . Methods : A r and omized controlled trial with follow-up at 3 , 9 , and 15 months , including 91 participants with osteoporosis ( 75.6 ± 5.4 years ) , compared a balance training group  ( n = 61 ) with a control group ( n = 30 ) . The primary outcome was effect on habitual PA measured as steps/day , dichotomized into less than 5000 or 5000 or more steps/day . Physical activity was assessed with pedometers ( Yamax ) and accelerometers ( Actigraph ) , HRQoL with the Short Form-36 ( SF-36 ) , gait with a GAITRite walkway , balance performance with Modified-Figure-Eight test and one-leg stance , fall-related concerns with Falls Efficacy Scale International , and physical function with the advanced lower extremity subscale of the question naire Late Life Function and Disability Instrument . Statistical methods used were multivariate logistic regression and logistic generalized estimating equation . Results : Sixty-eight participants completed the short-term follow-up at 3 months , and 53 participants completed the long-term follow-up at 15 months . Per- protocol analysis ( n = 68 ) showed that the odds ratio for having a daily step count of 5000 or more at 3 months was 6.17 ( 95 % confidence interval , 1.23 - 30.91 ) , P = .027 , for the intervention group compared with the control group . The longitudinal analysis ( n = 91 ) showed that the odds ratio for having a daily step count of 5000 or more at 15 months was 2.02 ( 95 % confidence interval , 0.88 - 4.64 ) , P = .096 , for the intervention group compared with the control group . The mental component sum of the SF-36 improved significantly from baseline to 3 months in the intervention group , and the physical component sum improved in both groups , but no statistically significant differences were found between groups . No associations were found between PA and changes in covariates . Discussion and Conclusions : The short-term evaluation showed that balance training increased habitual PA in community-dwelling older adults with osteoporosis . A significantly higher proportion of participants in the intervention group reached a level of 5000 or more steps/day , which is important for overall health . This effect was not associated with improvements in HRQoL , gait speed , balance performance , or fall-related concerns , and did not persist through the long-term follow-up . To accomplish a sustained PA change , a prolonged intervention or more support regarding habitual PA may be required , such as reinforcement with personalized behavior change counseling or PA on prescription Purpose . The purpose of this study was to test if moderate to vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) in less than the recommended ≥ 10-minute bouts related to weight outcomes . Design . Secondary data analysis . Setting . R and om sample from the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ( NHANES ) . Participants . A total of 4511 adults aged 18 to 64 years from the 2003–2006 NHANES . Method . Clinical ly measured body mass index ( BMI ) and overweight/obese status were regressed on accelerometer measures of minutes per day in higher-intensity long bouts ( ≥ 10 minutes , ≥ 2020 accelerometer counts per minute [ cpm ] ) , higher-intensity short bouts ( < 10 minutes , ≥ 2020 cpm ) , lower-intensity long bouts ( ≥ 10 minutes , 760–2019 cpm ) , and lower-intensity short bouts ( < 10 minutes , 760–2019 cpm ) . Socioeconomic and demographic characteristics were controlled . Results . Both higher-intensity short bouts and long bouts of PA  related to lower BMI and risk of overweight/obesity . Neither lower-intensity short bouts nor long bouts related to BMI or risk of overweight/obesity Conclusion . The current ≥ 10-minute MVPA bouts guideline was based on health benefits other than weight outcomes . Our findings showed that for weight gain prevention , accumulated higher-intensity PA bouts of < 10 minutes are highly beneficial , supporting the public health promotion message that “ every minute counts .
Light-intensity PA was found to be beneficially associated with obesity , markers of lipid and glucose metabolism , and mortality .
Conclusions Observational evidence that light-intensity PA can confer health benefits is accumulating .
Background The health effects of light-intensity physical activity ( PA ) are not well known today .
Objective We conducted a systematic review to assess the association of accelerometer-measured light-intensity PA with modifiable health outcomes in adults and older adults .