PLoS ONE (Jan 2016)

Objectively Measured Physical Activity in European Adults: Cross-Sectional Findings from the Food4Me Study.

  • Cyril F M Marsaux,
  • Carlos Celis-Morales,
  • Jettie Hoonhout,
  • Arjan Claassen,
  • Annelies Goris,
  • Hannah Forster,
  • Rosalind Fallaize,
  • Anna L Macready,
  • Santiago Navas-Carretero,
  • Silvia Kolossa,
  • Marianne C Walsh,
  • Christina-Paulina Lambrinou,
  • Yannis Manios,
  • Magdalena Godlewska,
  • Iwona Traczyk,
  • Julie A Lovegrove,
  • J Alfredo Martinez,
  • Hannelore Daniel,
  • Mike Gibney,
  • John C Mathers,
  • Wim H M Saris

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0150902
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 3
p. e0150902

Abstract

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BackgroundComparisons of objectively measured physical activity (PA) between residents of European countries measured concurrently with the same protocol are lacking. We aimed to compare PA between the seven European countries involved in the Food4Me Study, using accelerometer data collected remotely via the Internet.MethodsOf the 1607 participants recruited, 1287 (539 men and 748 women) provided at least 3 weekdays and 2 weekend days of valid accelerometer data (TracmorD) at baseline and were included in the present analyses.ResultsMen were significantly more active than women (physical activity level = 1.74 vs. 1.70, p ConclusionsWe were able to obtain valid accelerometer data in real time via the Internet from 80% of participants. Although our estimates are higher compared with data from Sweden, Norway, Portugal and the US, there is room for improvement in PA for all countries involved in the Food4Me Study.