Wearables to investigate the relationship between physical activity level, sedentary behavior and aerobic fitness

• Grant number: 20/01364-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2020
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal researcher: Aparecida Maria Catai
• Grantee: Giovana Lissa Alexandre Sanches
• Home Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/22215-7 - Impact of inspiratory muscle training and aging on metabolic maping and autonomic modulation at rest and on cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic responses to exercise in healthy men, AP.TEM

Abstract

According to the recommendation American College of Sports Medicine, the general population should move more and sit down less. Based on this guideline, the concept of level activity and sedentarism could be treated differently. Move and be more active means do the moderate/intense aerobic activity for 150 to 300 minutes by week. The sedentary behavior means during the wake, the energy expenditure is lower than 1.5 METs, on sitting and lying position. The assessment of physical activity level (PAL) and sedentarism is related by aerobic fitness and it is a powerful predictor of mortality. Although measure PAL and sedentarism are related to aerobic fitness they are little-known. The PAL can be measured by questionaries, for example, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The IPAQ evaluates the physical daily activity during a typic week, for seven days. The sedentary behavior can be assessed by a number of steps per day or time that the subject is inactive (d1,5 METS), this data can be the measurement by wearable (e. g., Hexoskin). The Hexoskin has a triaxial accelerometer and an electrocardiogram sensor. It measurement a biological signal that is directly related to PAL, behavior sedentary and aerobic fitness. Because of this, the aim is to verify the relation between aerobic fitness, PAL, behavior sedentary and maximum heart rate (HRmax) during the use of Hexoskin by seven days. Thirty male subjects, aged between 18 and 30 years, apparently healthy and with different levels of aerobic fitness will be evaluated. The volunteers will be submitted to anamnesis for the application of the IPAQ (short version) and cardiopulmonary exercise test, to determine the threshold of ventilatory anaerobiosis. Afterward, the volunteers will use Hexoskin for seven days, for eight hours a day during the waking period. Finally, volunteers will undergo a moderate exercise test to assess aerobic fitness. The level of correlation between the variables will be verified by Pearson's correlation and the degree of contribution of the PAL, level of physical inactivity and the HRmax achieved in the determination of aerobic fitness will be verified by multiple linear regression. Thus, it is expected that wearable sensors associated with the application of a questionnaire could be able to predict aerobic fitness in these individuals during activities of daily living, without the need for laboratory tests. In the future, physical interventions may benefit from the findings of this study through proposals for outpatient interventions that may adjust daily activities in order to improve aerobic fitness, improving quality and life expectancy.