Work

From motion to metabolism: investigating the relationship between accelerometer and VO 2 metrics across five age groups for optimal calibration of physical activity intensity

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective. The aim was to examine the relationship between accelerometer and oxygen consumption (VO 2 ) metrics and to what extent the metrics are normalized across age and body size, to allow a single calibration regression line for absolute physical activity (PA) intensity. Approach. Hip-mounted accelerometer data and VO 2 measurements were collected from 51 participants across five age cohorts (4–5; 6–8; 10; 15 and 20 years) during resting, walking and running on a treadmill in laboratory setting. Linear regressions were used to determine four accelerometer metrics’ (AG, 4 Hz frequency extended method (FEM), 10 Hz FEM and Euclidean norm minus one) contribution to explained variance (adjusted R 2 ) in six VO 2 metrics (VO 2 , VO 2 / kg 1 , VO 2 / kg 0.67 , VO 2 / kg 0.75 , MET measured and MET fixed ). Plots were generated for visual representations together with log-linear regression, finding the optimal scaling exponent for VO 2 . Main result. 10 Hz FEM explained the highest amount of explained variance when related to VO 2 / kg 0.75 , 92.4%, with minimal remaining between-group and inter-individual variance. The relationship demonstrated a linear shape. The most used accelerometer metric, AG counts, together with traditionally used reference standard, MET fixed , show substantially lower explained variance, 60.2%, with large between-group and inter-individual variance, insufficiently adjusting for physiological and biomechanical variability. The best body weight scaling factor for VO 2 was 0.77. Findings support the use of a single linear calibration regression line for absolute PA intensity across wide-ranging age-groups, accounting for biomechanical and physiological variance. Significance. This enables reliable and meaningful comparisons of PA intensity across age-groups, possibly also across childhood into adulthood, overcoming traditional limitations and enhancing research quality.

Source: Physiological Measurement

DOI: 10.1088/1361-6579/ae008e

Authors: Pia Skovdahl, Jonatan Fridolfsson, Inas Abed, Mats Börjesson, Daniel Arvidsson

Institutions: University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland

Language: English

Topic: Physical Activity and Health

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,325