614 Fifth Annual Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport Lecture: The Whys and Hows of Physical Activity Assessment

The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans were based on an analysis of a 600+ page report produced by the Guidelines Advisory Committee that reviewed and summarized the evidence supporting the health benefits of physical activity. Specifically, this report included the science background and rationale providing the evidence-based foundation for development of the actual guidelines. In this report, a recommendation called for better methods to assess habitual physical activity to improve our understanding of the dose-response relationship between physical activity and health outcomes. This broad array of methods for assessing physical activity and inactivity will be reviewed in this presentation, delivered by Dr. Patty Freedson, professor and chair of the Kinesiology Department at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Examples of these methods will be shown, and strengths and weaknesses will be highlighted. Some of the newer technologies and methods for interpreting physical activity data and sedentary behavior will also be discussed. Additionally, as assessment of physical activity has been used mostly in a research setting, the ways in which physical activity assessment can be used to encourage and promote physical activity behavior change will also be described.