Methods of Assessing Physical Activity
- Subjective methods depend on a persons own perceptions. Predominantly used for measurement in populations. (page 14 in textbook)
- Objective methods rely on solid data or observations. OBJECTS and OBSERVATION. (page 16 in textbook)
DIMENSIONS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
- F - Frequency: How many days per week.
- I - Intensity: How hard? Measured in MET's or Heart Rate
- T - Type: What is the activity being undertaken?
- D - Duration: How long?
- C - Context: In what conditions is the activity taking place.
- Reactivity - Bias that occurs when people when people MODIFY THEIR BEHAVIOUR during the period of measurement. If people are aware that they are being measured they may increase or decrease their physical activity behaviour.
- Social Desirability Bias - Refers to when people report results which are altered in some way to appear more socially desirable. For example a boy might say he does more exercise than he actually does to impress a girl. They do not actually change how much physical activity they complete.