Technologies That Assess the Location of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: A Systematic Review

Abstract

BackgroundThe location in which physical activity and sedentary behavior are performed can provide valuable behavioral information, both in isolation and synergistically with other areas of physical activity and sedentary behavior research. Global positioning systems (GPS) have been used in physical activity research to identify outdoor location; however, while GPS can receive signals in certain indoor environments, it is not able to provide room- or subroom-level location. On average, adults spend a high proportion of their time indoors. A measure of indoor location would, therefore, provide valuable behavioral information.ObjectiveThis systematic review sought to identify and critique technology which has been or could be used to assess the location of physical activity and sedentary behavior.MethodsTo identify published research papers, four electronic databases were searched using key terms built around behavior, technology, and location. To be eligible for inclusion, papers were required to be published in English and describe a wearable or portable technology or device capable of measuring location. Searches were performed up to February 4, 2015. This was supplemented by backward and forward reference searching. In an attempt to include novel devices which may not yet have made their way into the published research, searches were also performed using three Internet search engines. Specialized software was used to download search results and thus mitigate the potential pitfalls of changing search algorithms.ResultsA total of 188 research papers met the inclusion criteria. Global positioning systems were the most widely used location technology in the published research, followed by wearable cameras, and radio-frequency identification. Internet search engines identified 81 global positioning systems, 35 real-time locating systems, and 21 wearable cameras. Real-time locating systems determine the indoor location of a wearable tag via the known location of reference nodes. Although the type of reference node and location determination method varies between manufacturers, Wi-Fi appears to be the most popular method.ConclusionsThe addition of location information to existing measures of physical activity and sedentary behavior will provide important behavioral information.

Low Levels of after School-Hours Social Interaction and Physical Activity of 5-7 Year Olds

“…Although some initial work was done in the study of Lau et al (2013), further work, such as comparing researcher observation to parent/carer recording, is needed. Future investigations should also consider the rapid increase in technologies currently available (see Loveday, Sherar, Sanders, Sanderson, & Esliger, 2015).…”

Assessing the Exposome with External Measures: Commentary on the State of the Science and Research Recommendations

“…Geolocation technologies will likely play an increasingly integral role in widespread populationbased or individualized sensing, especially with smartphone-based applications (discussed below), increasing the precision of external exposure assessment; however, limitations, including position errors indoors as well as signal interference by features of the built environment in urban settings, should be carefully considered (63). Further research into the incorporation of indoor real-time locating systems, wearable cameras, or other evolving technology to provide detailed indoor location data is needed, as is standardization of protocols for GPS data analysis (58).…”

Comparing the Data Quality of GPS Devices and Smartphones for Assessing Relationships between Place, Mobility, and Health: A Field Study (Preprint)

“…Conversely, studies in which the aim is to account for time within buildings at home or work, or document visits to particular places (such as supermarkets, medical facilities, or fast food restaurants), would benefit from the phone's demonstrated greater precision in recording indoor activities. For studies which only require the general location and duration of indoor activities, smartphones may be a more practical data collection device than others which are available to collect this type of information [3].…”

“…Additionally, location-based data acquired from mobile devices can be used to assess physical activity [3], exposures to hazardous substances [4], and symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression [5][6][7][8]. Accordingly, there is growing interest in the use of location-tracking devices as a data collection tool for health research.…”