Mismatch between perceived and objective measures of physical activity environments

Objectives : This study investigated the correspondence between measures of physical activity facilities obtained through self-report and objective audits; and identified the socio-demographic, cognitive and behavioral characteristics of those who perceive their physical activity environment to be less supportive than objective measures indicate.
Methods : Self-report surveys were completed by 1540 women recruited from 45 neighborhoods in Melbourne, Australia. Women reported perceived access to physical activity facilities within 2 km from home, and also socio-demographic, cognitive and behavioral factors. Objective data on physical activity facilities within a 2 km pedestrian catchment area around women's homes were sourced.
Results : There was relatively poor agreement between measures of access to physical activity facilities obtained via self-report and objective assessment. Mismatch between perceived and objectively-assessed environments was more common amongst younger and older women, and women of low income, with low self-efficacy for physical activity, who were less active, who reported using fewer facilities and who had lived in the neighborhood for less than 2 years.
Conclusions : Future studies of environmental determinants of physical activity should consider incorporating objective indices of access to facilities, or accounting for the systematic bias that may result from relying on self-report perceptions as an indicator of the actual physical activity environment.

A comparison of subjective and objective measures of physical activity and fitness in identifying associations with cardiometabolic risk factors

Purpose
To compare the ability of alternative measures of physical activity and fitness to quantify associations with health outcomes.

Methods
Associations between a range of subjective and objective physical activity and fitness measures and cardiometabolic risk factors were examined using data from 1,631 Australians aged 26–36 years. Anthropometry, fitness, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose, insulin, and lipids were measured at study clinics. Participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and 7-day pedometer diaries; they also reported sedentary behavior (sitting, television viewing).

Results
In men and women, associations were strongest for fitness, with those in the highest (vs. lowest) fitness quarter having a 75% to 80% lower prevalence of two or more primary risk factors (waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and insulin resistance). In men, a 60% to 70% reduced prevalence of two or more risk factors was observed across extreme quarters of IPAQ leisure, IPAQ vigorous, sitting duration, and pedometer measures. Similar reductions in prevalence were observed only across extreme quarters of pedometer activity and television viewing in women.

Conclusions
Associations between alternative measures and cardiometabolic risk were relatively independent, suggesting that a range of physical activity and fitness measures may be needed to most accurately quantify associations between physical activity and health.

Monitoring the athlete training response: subjective self-reported measures trump commonly used objective measures: a systematic review

Background Monitoring athlete well-being is essential to guide training and to detect any progression towards negative health outcomes and associated poor performance. Objective (performance, physiological, biochemical) and subjective measures are all options for athlete monitoring. Objective We systematically reviewed objective and subjective measures of athlete well-being. Objective measures, including those taken at rest (eg, blood markers, heart rate) and during exercise (eg, oxygen consumption, heart rate response), were compared against subjective measures (eg, mood, perceived stress). All measures were also evaluated for their response to acute and chronic training load. Methods The databases Academic search complete, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and PubMed were searched in May 2014. Fifty-six original studies reported concurrent subjective and objective measures of athlete well-being. The quality and strength of findings of each study were evaluated to determine overall levels of evidence. Results Subjective and objective measures of athlete well-being generally did not correlate. Subjective measures reflected acute and chronic training loads with superior sensitivity and consistency than objective measures. Subjective well-being was typically impaired with an acute increase in training load, and also with chronic training, while an acute decrease in training load improved subjective well-being. Summary This review provides further support for practitioners to use subjective measures to monitor changes in athlete well-being in response to training. Subjective measures may stand alone, or be incorporated into a mixed methods approach to athlete monitoring, as is current practice in many sport settings.

A review of preschool children's physical activity and sedentary time using objective measures

Identifying current physical activity levels and sedentary time of preschool children is important for informing government policy and community initiatives. This paper reviewed studies reporting on physical activity and time spent sedentary among preschool-aged children (2-5 years) using objective measures.

Combined evaluation of workplace performance using occupants' subjective assessment and objective measurement of environmental conditions : a case study

The case study presents findings from a program of pre- and post-evaluations of buildings sponsored by the NSW government. The program aims to demonstrate leadership in the delivery of government accommodation and to provide feedback into the building design and management process.

The results from a combined evaluation of an ABGR 4.5 star government building using the KODO probe© occupant surveys and measures of environmental conditions, carried out by the Mobile Architecture and Built Environment Laboratory (MABEL) at Deakin University are summarised. In particular the paper will present the benefits of innovative performance evaluation of property for commercial benefit using the KODO productivity topographic maps©.

These maps isolate where facility solutions are needed as opposed to tenant/occupant solutions in order to optimise building and business outcomes with minimal capital investment.

Non-equivalence of direct and indirect measures of unrealistic optimism

Individuals typically believe that they are less likely than the average person to experience negative events. Such “unrealistic optimism” (UO) has been assessed in two ways: directly (via a single question, requiring comparison of own risk to that of the average person) and indirectly (via separate questions about own risk and that of the average person). The study examined the equivalence of the direct and indirect measures of female students' UO for unwanted pregnancy. Participants (N = 120) answered questions about their own risk, that of the average female student, and their own risk relative to that of the average female student; responses and response times were recorded. There was only a moderate association between direct- and indirect-UO. Direct-UO was strongly associated with estimate of own risk, but only moderately associated with estimate of the average student's risk. Response times for the comparative risk and own risk questions did not differ, but participants took significantly longer to answer the question about average student's risk. The results suggest that the two measures of UO are not equivalent, but, rather, that individuals answering a comparative risk question focus mainly on their own risk, at the expense of that of the average person.

Predicting consumer innovative behavior using alternative theories and likelihood measures: a longitudinal study

This paper reports on a longitudinal study of consumers, where two dominant theories that purport to predict innovative behavior are applied and compared directly, using a methodology suggested as ideal by past researchers. Predictions made prior to launch were then evaluated against multiple measures of purchase likelihood, and against actual adoption behavior up to 12 months after launch. The results of this study suggest that perceptions of the innovations characteristics (PIC) predicted the selfreported likelihood of adoption better than the Domain Specific Innovativeness (DSI) scale, a personality-based measure. Prediction of actual adoption was largely inaccurate and both theories massively over predicted adoption levels, however the DSI scale was slightly more accurate. The conclusions here are that no one theory could make adequate predictions of behavior, that purchase likelihood measures are a poor substitute for measuring actual behavior but that purchase probability scales should be used more often in adoption research.

Associations between neighbourhood safety and physical activity among youth

This thesis examined how perceptions of neighbourhood safety and objective measures of the local road environment were related to physical activity among youth. Results demonstrated that neighbourhoods with walking tracks and traffic-calming measures promote active transport (walking/cycling) and may help stem age-related declines in physical activity among children and adolescents.