Actigraph Accelerometer Validation Study
Condition: Physical Activity
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Background:

        -  Good measures of physical activity are needed for studies correlating physical activity
           and the risk of developing certain diseases.

        -  In preparation for use in a study of diseases and risk factors in Hispanic populations,
           NCI is evaluating a new model accelerometer to measure physical activity. An
           accelerometer is a small device worn on a belt at the waist that measures and records
           movement, capturing movement intensity and duration and associating it with clock-time.

        -  The new accelerometer (ActiGraph GTIM) uses a different type of motion detector from
           that used in the previous model (ActiGraph 7164).

      Objective: To evaluate and compare the ActiGraph GTIM with the ActiGraph 7164 by collecting
      physical activity data using both models.

      Eligibility: Men and women 18-74 years of age.

      Design: Study participants wear both model accelerometers while they walk or jog around a
      track at several self-selected paces. Data from the two devices are compared.
    

Detailed description: 
      The NCI is collaborating with other NIH Institutes on a proposed extramurally funded
      longitudinal study of Hispanic subpopulations in the United States referred to as the
      Hispanic Community Health Study (HCHS). Hispanic populations are understudied with respect to
      many diseases and risk factors. To better understand the relationship between physical
      activity and chronic disease, and to make specific activity prescriptions, better methods are
      needed to improve the validity and reliability of physical activity assessment instruments to
      assess the frequency, duration, and intensity of physical activity. In preparation for use in
      the HCHS, NCI plans to evaluate a new type of accelerometer, a small device worn on a belt at
      the waist that measures and records movement, capturing movement intensity and duration and
      associating it with clock-time. This new accelerometer will be used in the HCHS to allow
      examination of levels as well as patterns of activity. Physical activity was measured with
      accelerometers in the nationally representative 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey (NHANES). Between the time of the NHANES and the HCHS, there has been a
      change in the technology of the accelerometer used in NHANES. To allow comparison of the
      physical activity data that will be collected in the HCHS to the data collected with the
      previous technology used in NHANES, a cross-validation study is needed. The proposed study,
      the ActiGraph Accelerometer Validation Study, will compare the ActiGraph model 7164 used in
      NHANES with the new model GT1M to be used in the HCHS by simultaneously collecting physical
      activity data using both ActiGraphs under different circumstances of walking or jogging. The
      study will recruit 120 men and women ages 18-74, corresponding to the age range of the HCHS.
      Normal weight, overweight and obese participants will be included in each age/gender cell.
      Because the devices measure movement, it is not essential that the study participants be from
      any particular ethnic group. To derive comparable data for the 2 devices, the 2 accelerometer
      models will be worn on a belt, with one positioned on each hip. Study participants will be
      asked to walk/jog around a track for a known distance at several self-selected paces.
      Minute-by-minute and summary data from the two devices will be evaluated for comparability.
    

Keywords: Walking; Jogging; Bridging Study; Data Comparability; Healthy Adults; Healthy Volunteer; HV