Reliability of the RT3 accelerometer for measurement of physical activity in adolescents

J Sports Sci. 2010 Feb;28(4):375-9. doi: 10.1080/02640410903502790.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of the RT3 accelerometer under conditions of normal physical activity. Sixty healthy individuals (30 boys, 30 girls) aged 10-16 years wore two accelerometers while performing different structured physical activities. The accelerometers were synchronized and data were recorded every minute during nine 15-min sessions of physical activity that varied in intensity from sedentary (watching television, playing video games) to vigorous (running on a treadmill at different speeds). Intra-instrument coefficients of variation (CV) were assessed using the formula CV = standard deviation of the measure x 100/mean of the measure. The intra-instrument coefficient of variation was higher for sedentary (17%) and light activity (16.2%) than moderate (9.3%) and vigorous activity (6.6%). These results confirmed the poor reliability of the RT3 for activity of low magnitude and frequency that was demonstrated in studies using a shaker.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Exercise*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation*
  • Motor Activity*
  • Physical Exertion*
  • Reference Values
  • Reproducibility of Results