Enhancing clinical and public health interpretation of accelerometer-assessed physical activity with age-referenced values based on UK Biobank data

Alex V Rowlands; Andrew P Kingsnorth; Bjørge H Hansen; Stuart J Fairclough; Lynne M Boddy; Benjamin D Maylor; Henrik R Eckmann; Borja Del Pozo Cruz; Nathan P Dawkins; Cameron Razieh; Kamlesh Khunti; Francesco Zaccardi; Tom Yates

doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2024.100977

Enhancing clinical and public health interpretation of accelerometer-assessed physical activity with age-referenced values based on UK Biobank data

J Sport Health Sci. 2024 Sep 4:100977. doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2024.100977. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Assessment of Movement Behaviours (AMBer) Group, Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service (NHS) Trust and the University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), UniSA Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide SA5001, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
² National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service (NHS) Trust and the University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3GR, UK.
³ Department of Sport Science and Physical Education, University of Agder, Kristiansand 4604, Norway.
⁴ Movement Behaviours, Health, and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Sport and Physical Activity, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, UK.
⁵ Physical Activity Exchange, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK.
⁶ Assessment of Movement Behaviours (AMBer) Group, Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service (NHS) Trust and the University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Nuffield Department of Population Health & Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.
⁷ Assessment of Movement Behaviours (AMBer) Group, Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK.
⁸ Faculty of Education, University of Cádiz, Cádiz 11519, Spain; Biomedical Research and Innovation Institute of Cádiz (IMiBICA) Research Unit, Puerta del Mar University Hospital, University of Cádiz, 11009, Spain; Centre for Active and Healthy Ageing, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark.
⁹ Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford BD9 6RJ, UK; NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK.
¹⁰ Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Leicester Real World Evidence Unit, Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Office for National Statistics, Newport NP10 8XG, UK.
¹¹ Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service (NHS) Trust and the University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Leicester Real World Evidence Unit, Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK.
¹² Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; Leicester Real World Evidence Unit, Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK.
¹³ Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester General Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service (NHS) Trust and the University of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK.

PMID: 39237061
DOI: 10.1016/j.jshs.2024.100977

Abstract

Background: Higher accelerometer-assessed volume and intensity of physical activity (PA) have been associated with a longer life expectancy but can be difficult to translate into recommended doses of PA. We aimed to: (a) improve interpretability by producing UK Biobank age-referenced centiles for PA volume and intensity; (b) inform public-health messaging by examining how adding recommended quantities of moderate and vigorous PA affect PA volume and intensity.

Methods: 92,480 UK Biobank participants aged 43-80 years with wrist-worn accelerometer data were included. Average acceleration and intensity gradient were derived as proxies for PA volume and intensity. We generated sex-specific centile curves using Generalized Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) and modeled the effect of adding moderate (walking) or vigorous (running) activity on the combined change in the volume and intensity centiles (change in PA profile).

Results: In men, volume was lower as age increased while intensity was lower after age 55; in women, both volume and intensity were lower as age increased. Adding 150 min of moderate PA weekly (5 × 30 min walking) increased the PA profile by 4 percentage points. Defining moderate PA as brisk walking approximately doubled the increase (9 percentage points) while 75 min of vigorous PA weekly (5 × 15 min running) trebled the increase (13 percentage points).

Conclusion: These UK Biobank reference centiles provide a benchmark for interpretation of accelerometer data. Application of our translational methods demonstrate that meeting PA guidelines through shorter duration vigorous activity is more beneficial to the PA profile (volume and intensity) than longer duration moderate activity.

Keywords: Average acceleration; Intensity gradient; Moderate; Physical activity recommendations; Vigorous.