Measurement of physical activity in obese persons: how and why? A review.
Einas Al-Eisa, Ahmad H Alghadir, Zaheen A Iqbal
PMID 27799717WHAT IT FOUND
No single method perfectly measures physical activity in obesity.
Self-reports are cheap but often overestimated. Pedometers miss non-walking exercises. Accelerometers and heart rate monitors have specific blind spots. Combining sensors improves accuracy but adds cost and complexity.
Key findings
01Self-reporting methods like questionnaires are affordable and easy to use but carry a risk of overestimation and errors in reporting.
02Pedometers are popular and objective but cannot capture activities without displacement, such as lifting weights, cycling, or swimming.
03Accelerometers are considered the most objective method but fail to measure upper body movements and underestimate activity on inclined surfaces.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a systematic review or meta-analysis, so it does not provide pooled effect sizes or a rigorous hierarchy of evidence for the methods compared. The review focuses on general physical activity measurement in obesity, not on specific interventions or outcomes in a clinical trial setting. The authors state the list of methods is not exhaustive.
Declared interests
The authors declare there are no commercial relationships with manufacturers.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that using one device, such as a pedometer, provides a complete measure of a patient's physical activity. Each method has specific blind spots, such as pedometers missing non-walking exercises or accelerometers missing upper body movements, so relying on a single tool may underestimate activity levels.