Detalhes do projeto
Description
The Initial Pilot Study: Validating Smartphone-Derived Metrics for Steps and Sedentary Behavior Against ActivPAL aims to establish the operational, methodological, and ethical framework required to conduct a free-living study integrating smartphone-derived and research-grade device data. While research-grade accelerometers, such as the ActivPAL, are recognized for their precision, their high cost and logistical complexity limit large-scale implementation. On the other hand, smartphones are widely available, capable of continuous passive data collection, and offer metrics such as step count and screen time that could serve as proxies for movement and (non)movement behaviors. However, concerns remain about measurement accuracy, particularly due to inconsistent device carrying and variability across users and devices.
This pilot study will focus on testing the feasibility and robustness of all study procedures, including recruitment strategies, participant flow, device deployment, and multi-source data integration. Specifically, the study will: (1) develop and refine Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for device initialization, placement, and data extraction; (2) assess participant compliance, burden, and acceptability of a 7-day free-living monitoring protocol; (3) evaluate the feasibility of synchronizing smartphone-derived data (step counts and screen time) with ActivPAL outputs; and (4) implement and test a data-processing and quality-control pipeline, including detection of non-wear, missing data, and cross-device inconsistencies.
A convenience sample of adults will be recruited to participate in a 7-day monitoring protocol. Participants will wear an ActivPAL device continuously while maintaining usual smartphone use. Baseline and follow-up sessions will be used to test standardized procedures for participant briefing, device handling, and data verification.
Feasibility outcomes will include recruitment rates, adherence to wear-time criteria, completeness of paired datasets, success of smartphone data extraction, and frequency of protocol deviations.
Descriptive analyses will be conducted to characterize data completeness, variability, and preliminary agreement patterns between devices, not as definitive validity estimates but as indicators to inform protocol refinement.
Operational bottlenecks, sources of data loss, and participant-reported challenges will be systematically documented to support iterative improvement.
The expected outputs include a refined SOP framework, a validated data-processing and quality-control pipeline, and empirically informed adjustments to study design and logistics. By reducing implementation uncertainty and strengthening protocol standardization, this pilot will provide the necessary foundation for scalable, integrated monitoring of physical activity and sedentary behavior using smartphone and wearable technologie.
This pilot study is testing whether everyday smartphones can reliably measure how much people move and sit, compared to a specialized research device called ActivPAL.
While ActivPAL provides very accurate data, it is expensive and difficult to use at large scale. Smartphones, on the other hand, are widely used and can automatically track things like steps and screen time. The problem is that their accuracy may vary—for example, depending on whether people carry their phone consistently.
To address this, the study will ask a group of adults to wear an ActivPAL device for 7 days while using their smartphone as usual. The goal is not to produce final results yet, but to test whether all parts of the study work properly in real life. This includes checking how easy it is to recruit participants, whether people follow the protocol, how well data from both devices can be combined, and where problems or data loss occur.
The findings will help improve the study design, procedures, and data processing methods. This will make it possible to run a larger study in the future and better understand whether smartphones can be used as a practical tool to monitor physical activity and sedentary behavior at scale.
This pilot study will focus on testing the feasibility and robustness of all study procedures, including recruitment strategies, participant flow, device deployment, and multi-source data integration. Specifically, the study will: (1) develop and refine Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for device initialization, placement, and data extraction; (2) assess participant compliance, burden, and acceptability of a 7-day free-living monitoring protocol; (3) evaluate the feasibility of synchronizing smartphone-derived data (step counts and screen time) with ActivPAL outputs; and (4) implement and test a data-processing and quality-control pipeline, including detection of non-wear, missing data, and cross-device inconsistencies.
A convenience sample of adults will be recruited to participate in a 7-day monitoring protocol. Participants will wear an ActivPAL device continuously while maintaining usual smartphone use. Baseline and follow-up sessions will be used to test standardized procedures for participant briefing, device handling, and data verification.
Feasibility outcomes will include recruitment rates, adherence to wear-time criteria, completeness of paired datasets, success of smartphone data extraction, and frequency of protocol deviations.
Descriptive analyses will be conducted to characterize data completeness, variability, and preliminary agreement patterns between devices, not as definitive validity estimates but as indicators to inform protocol refinement.
Operational bottlenecks, sources of data loss, and participant-reported challenges will be systematically documented to support iterative improvement.
The expected outputs include a refined SOP framework, a validated data-processing and quality-control pipeline, and empirically informed adjustments to study design and logistics. By reducing implementation uncertainty and strengthening protocol standardization, this pilot will provide the necessary foundation for scalable, integrated monitoring of physical activity and sedentary behavior using smartphone and wearable technologie.
This pilot study is testing whether everyday smartphones can reliably measure how much people move and sit, compared to a specialized research device called ActivPAL.
While ActivPAL provides very accurate data, it is expensive and difficult to use at large scale. Smartphones, on the other hand, are widely used and can automatically track things like steps and screen time. The problem is that their accuracy may vary—for example, depending on whether people carry their phone consistently.
To address this, the study will ask a group of adults to wear an ActivPAL device for 7 days while using their smartphone as usual. The goal is not to produce final results yet, but to test whether all parts of the study work properly in real life. This includes checking how easy it is to recruit participants, whether people follow the protocol, how well data from both devices can be combined, and where problems or data loss occur.
The findings will help improve the study design, procedures, and data processing methods. This will make it possible to run a larger study in the future and better understand whether smartphones can be used as a practical tool to monitor physical activity and sedentary behavior at scale.
| Título curto | Validate 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Estado | Ativo |
| Data de início/fim efetiva | 1/04/26 → 30/09/27 |
Parceiros colaborativos
- Universidade Lusófona (líder)
- Champalimaud Foundation
- Syracuse University
- Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa
Impressão digital
Explore os tópicos de investigação abordados neste projeto. Estas etiquetas são geradas com base nos prémios/concessões subjacentes. Em conjunto formam uma impressão digital única.