Physical Activity Assessment Resources

This list provides links to physical activity resources that may be of interest to investigators, but is not exhaustive. If you have information about a physical activity resource you would like to be considered for inclusion on this list, submit as much information as possible via e-mail to our Risk Factor Assessment Branch: RFAB@mail.nih.gov.

On this page...

• Analytical Tools
• Assessment Tools
• Datasets
• Surveys and Related Resources

Analytical Tools

• Compendium of Physical Activities
  The updated Compendium was supported by the University of Arizona and NCI for use in epidemiologic studies to standardize the assignment of MET intensities in physical activity questionnaires.
• Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) Values for Activities in American Time Use Survey (ATUS) and 2002 Census Occupational Classification System (OCS)
  This webpage provides the MET values for activities in the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) and the 2002 Census Occupational Classification System (OCS). They serve as appendices to a 2009 publication in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health and a 2011 publication in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
• Youth Compendium of Physical Activities
  The Youth Compendium of Physical Activities provides a list of 196 common activities in which youth participate and the estimated energy cost associated with each activity. This resource from the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) was developed by a working group which included staff from NCI, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other experts.

Assessment Tools

• Measurement of Active and Sedentary Behaviors: Closing the Gaps in Self-Report Methods Webinar and Think Tank
  A webinar series supported by NCI, the National Institutes of Health's Office of Disease Prevention, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Sports Medicine, and NCCOR that provided an overview of physical activity as a multidimensional health behavior, an in-depth review of methods to measure active and sedentary behaviors by self-report, and an exploration of important issues when assessing physical activity in diverse populations. The webinar series was followed by a Think Tank where measurement experts discussed approaches to closing the gaps in self-report methods assessing active and sedentary behaviors.

  The following journal supplements were published to summarize and build upon the webinar and Think Tank:

  Objective measurement of physical activity: best practices and future directions

  Objective measurement of physical activity: best practices and future directions. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 January; 44(suppl 1):S1-S89.

  This journal supplement summarizes and builds upon a workshop which convened researchers from diverse sectors and organizations to critically review the state-of-the-science. The supplement discusses current technologies for objective physical activity monitoring, provides recommendations for the use of these technologies, and explores future directions in the development of new tools and approaches. It presents best practices for using physical activity monitors in population-based research, explores modeling of physical activity outcomes from wearable monitors, and discusses statistical considerations in the analysis of accelerometry-based activity monitor data. It also examines monitor equivalency issues and discusses current use and best practices for accelerometry with particular populations -- children, older adults, and adults with functional limitations.

  Measurement of active and sedentary behaviors: closing the gaps in self-report methods

  Measurement of active and sedentary behaviors: closing the gaps in self-report methods. J Phys Act Health. 2012 January;9(suppl):S1-S92.

  This journal supplement summarizes a workshop and webinar that explored the major challenges and opportunities for the use of self-report methods to measure active and sedentary behaviors. Additionally, it contains an overview of the history and evolution of self-report instruments, a commentary on the role of practitioners in instrument development, and a commentary on self-report measurement in low- and middle-income countries. The supplement is intended as a reference for navigating the considerations encountered when selecting an approach for self-report assessment or when deciding how to develop a new instrument.

  
  
• Measures Registry
  A searchable database of diet and physical activity measures relevant to childhood obesity research, developed by the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR).
• PhenX Toolkit
  This Toolkit, supported by NIH funding, is a catalog of recommended, standard measures of phenotypes and environmental exposures, including physical activity measures, for use in biomedical research.
• Activities Completed over Time in 24-hours (ACT24)
  ACT24 is a web-based previous-day recall instrument that was designed to estimate daily summary values for physical activity and sedentary behavior, including energy expenditure, time spent sitting and in different types and intensities of physical activity.

Datasets

• Catalogue of Surveillance Systems
  One-stop access to more than 100 publicly available datasets relevant to childhood obesity research, developed by the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR).
• Interactive Diet and Activity Tracking in AARP (IDATA) Study
  IDATA is a methodologic study of device-based, internet-based, and conventional self-report instruments for assessing physical activity and diet in epidemiologic research. These data are available to all qualified investigators for studies of physical activity and nutrition, and interested investigators can request access to IDATA Study data.
• 2011 – 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Physical Activity Monitor Data
  The NHANES 2011-2014 used a wrist-worn ActiGraph GT3x+ that collected triaxial acceleration at 80 Hz (i.e., 1/80th of a second). The data is publicly available and include 1) summarized measures at the minute, hour, day level and 2) raw 80 Hz data.
  • NHANES 2013-2014 public release data
  • NHANES 2011-2012 public release data
  • NHANES 2011-2012 data for ages 3-5 years
  • NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS)
  • NHANES data combining NNYFS and NHANES 2012 for ages 3-15 years
  • R package NHANES.RAW80Hz [ZIP - 121 KB] is available to assist users with downloading and decompressing the raw 80 Hz physical activity monitor data in a location of their choice. The following resources provide information on how to use the package.
    • Linux NHANES.RAW80Hz
    • NHANES.RAW80Hz Manual [PDF - 275 KB]
    • Vignette
• 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Physical Activity Monitor Data
  The NHANES 2003-2006 physical activity monitor component used a hip-worn ActiGraph 7164 that collected uniaxial intensity counts in one-minute intervals (epochs).
  • NHANES 2005-2006 data
  • NHANES 2003-2004 data
  • SAS code is available for analyzing Actigraph 7164 Physical Activity Monitor (PAM) data from the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 NHANES

Surveys and Related Resources

• American Time Use Survey
  This survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, is designed to collect information on how Americans spend their time on work, household chores, childcare, recreation and other activities.
• Eating and Health Module of the ATUS
  This module, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with assistance from NCI staff, includes statistics on time spent in eating and drinking activities, grocery shopping, and meal preparation for the population age 15 and older and for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (formerly the Food Stamp Program). Data are also presented on measures of the health status (such as Body Mass Index, or BMI) of the population by time spent in various activities.