Accelerometer-Based Physical Activity Measurement

Physical activity was measured using an Actigraph GT3X model (Actigraph LLC, Pensacola, FL, USA) accelerometer. The monitor was worn on the hip with a belt for a seven-day period by the participants, who were requested to remove it only for sleeping and bathing. The recorded data files were downloaded and processed using Actilife software (version 6, Actigraph, 2012). Only days on which the monitors were worn for 10 or more hours were considered valid, and at least three days of data were required to validate the recorded data [40 (link)]. Steps per day were recorded, along with the number of minutes per day spent in intensity-specific categories. The physical activity was classified according to the classification developed by Freedson [41 (link)] as light (100–1951 counts per minute (CPM)), moderate (1952–5724 CPM), or vigorous (>5725 CPM). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was defined as the sum of minutes spent in moderate and vigorous physical activities (≥1952 CPM).