Measurement of physical activity

The core research group for method development consists of Professor Mats Börjesson, Center for Lifestyle Intervention (CLI), Professor Daniel Arvidsson, Center for Health and Performance at the Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science (CHP) and CLI, Professorn Örjan Ekblom, Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences (GIH), Professor Elin Ekblom-Bak (GIH), researcher Jonatan Fridolfsson, CLI and CHP, PhD student Pia Skovdahl, CHP, research assistant Christian Greven, CLI and CHP, and research assistant Inas Abed, Cli and CHP. Below the different projects/studies included and collaborators are described:

Reexamination of Objective Assessment of physical activity (ROA)

ROA is a lab-based study to develop, calibrate and validate metrics of physical activity using accelerometers on different body placements to be comparable between age groups. The study includes children and adolscents 4-15 years old, and adults >20 years old. It combines biomechanics and physiology and is performed at CHP. 
Responsible researcher: Professor Daniel Arvisson. 
Status: Ongoing.

Measurement of Energy expenditure and Dietary intake at different Activity Levels (MEDAL)

Medal is a combination of lab-based and free-living-based study to develop, calibrate and validate memtrics of physical activity from accelerometers of different body placements, and to evaluate dietary intake, in adults with large variation in physical activity level. The study combines biomechanics, fysiology and nutrition, and includes both indirect calorimetry and the double labelled wather method as references for energy expenditure. It is a collaboration within the Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science, and with CLI, and is performed at CHP. The study received financial support for a spectrophotometer for the analysis of the oxygene- and hydrogene isotopes in urin. 
Responsible researchers: Professor Daniel Arvisson and Professor Mats Börjesson. 
Status: Ongoing.

Method development for measuremenet of physical activity in youth

This study includes data sets from several research collaborators. The goal is to investigate how improvements in the metrics of physical activity affect associations with different health markers, i.e. external validation. Collborators are the STARS project at the University of Gothenburg (Peter Friberg), Brain Health at GIH (Gisela Nyberg), Riksmaten at the Swedish Food Agency (Anna-Karin Lindroos) and the ASK study at the Western Norway University fo Applied Sciences (Eivind Aadland). 
Responsible researcher: Professor Daniel Arvisson. Each collaborator is responsible for its data. 
Status: Ongoing.

Method development and application in the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImaga Study (SCAPIS)

SCAPIS is a large national collaboration project to investigate health and risk of disease from different aspects. The research group is using SCAPIS data for the development of metrics of physical activity from waist worn accelerometer and to study effects on the association with various health markers, but has also developed and applied more advanced statistical metods for complex data. The goal is return this development for use in SCAPIS. In addition, waist accelerometer data is compared to thigh accelerometer data in a sub-study of SCAPIS. The research is performed in collaboration with CLI and with other universities in Sweden, as GIH and Uppsala University. 
Responsible researchers: Professor Mats Börjesson (CLI) and Professor Daniel Arvidsson (CHP). Responsible for SCAPIS is Professor Göran Bergström, University of Gothenburg. 
Status: Ongoing.

Lifestyle Intervention with Physical Activity and Diet (Li-PAD)

LI-PAD is located at CLI to investigate the effect and feasibility of an 6-month individualized lifestyle intervention on body weight by changing physical activity and diet in middle-aged individuals with overweight and obesity, compared to simple advises. The outcome is followed-up immediately after intervention and 12 months later. Li-PAD includes a team of physician, nurse, physiotherapist, biomedical analyst, nutritionist and health promotors (behavior scientist). The task of the health promotors is to support behavior change in individual meetings and in group sessions (lifestyle school). Physical activity, fitness, energy expenditure and food intake are measured. Responsible researchers: Professor Mats Börjesson (CLI). Professor Daniel Arvidsson (CHP) is co-investigator and contributor to design and content, and is affiliated to CLI. 
Status: Ongoing.

Physical activity in children with congenital heart disease

Method development for measurement of physical activity has been part of this study. Previous research has shown small differences compared to matched controls. An important explanation is measurement error. This study wants to show the differences in result using improved measures compared to traditional measures. The study is performed in collaboration with Queen Silvia Children´s Hospital.
Responsible researcher: Professor Daniel Arvidsson (CHP). 
Status: Ongoing.

Physical activity in clinical research

The research group is part av several clinical projects at the University of Gothenburg/Sahlgrenska University Hospital and contributes to design and to measurement and analysis of physical activity. These projects concern physical activity and cancer (Caterina Finizia), physical activity and chronic pain (Paulin Andrell), physical activity in children with obesity (Susanne Bernhardsson), physical activity and chronic pain in children (Mari Lundberg), physical activity and rematoid arthritis (Annelie Bilberg), physical activity in primary care (Lena Bornhöft), and physical activity and hypophysis cancer (Gudmundur Johansson), among others. 
Responsible researcher: Named researchers, and professor Daniel Arvidsson and Professor Mats Börjesson are responsible for physical activity measurement. 
Status: Ongoing.