Assessment of physical activity and sedentary behaviour

1. Assessment of physical activity and sedentarybehaviour Purpose The National Physical Activity Guidelines Dimensions of Physical Activity Methods used to Measure Physical Activity Appropriate instruments for different groups

2. What is the main purposes of measuring physical activity At the population level: • To document the frequency and distribution of physical activity in defined population groups • To monitor the achievement of physical activity guidelines and population trends over time • To study the relationship between physical activity and health conditions (for example, cardiovascular risk factors, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and mental health) • To determine the amount or dose of physical activity required to influence specific health parameters • To identify the biological, psychological and environmental factors that influence physical activity • To evaluate the effectiveness of large-scale physical activity intervention programs

3. What is the main purposes of measuring physical activity At an individual level • To detect change in an individual’s health and/or behaviour • To determine the effect of any change in physical activity behaviour

4. The National Physical Activity Guidelines

5. Levels of evaluation for a school-based physical activity intervention

6. Determining physical activity The only way we can determine whether a physical activity program increases a person’s physical activity behaviour is to: • Measure their physical activity prior to the introduction of the program (pre-intervention or baseline testing) • Repeat the assessment during the intervention or using identical measures at the conclusion of the program (post-test or post-intervention) • Repeat the assessment again some time later, such as 12 months after post-intervention. (This is known as follow-up.)

7. Measuring the dimensions of physical activity

8. Assessing the type of physical activity • To determine the energy expenditure associated- metabolic equivalent (MET) • To assess what proportion of physical activity is accumulated within the various domains of physical activity, such as household and gardening, active transport, occupation or (for youth) school and leisure-time physical activity • To determine the most common activities performed by particular population subgroups, or within a specific context or setting. For example, children in Year 1 participate in very different types of physical activities and sedentary behaviours compared to those in Year 9. Direct observation measures could be used to determine the most common activities for each different year level.

9. Measuring intensity of physical activity

10. Measuring frequency of physical activity • Finding a definition- understanding the concept

11. Measuring duration of physical activity • Finding a definition- understanding the concept

12. Methods used to monitor physical activity at the individual and population level

13. Selection of measurement instruments

14. Explain the trade-off between the accuracy and practicality of a physical activity measure.

15. Subjective measures of physical activity

16. Objective measures of physical activity

17. Make sure the assessment instrument is appropriate for the target group