Comparison of older and newer generation active style pro accelerometers in physical activity and sedentary behavior surveillance under a free-living environment

Background. Comparability of accelerometers in epidemiological studies is important for public health researchers. This study aimed to compare physical activity (light, LPA; moderate, MPA; and moderate-to-vigorous, MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB) data collected using two Omron triaxial accelerometer generations (Active style Pro, ASP) among a sample of Japanese workers in a free-living environment. Methods. Thirty active and sedentary workers (24–62 years) wore two types of ASP accelerometers, the HJA-350IT (350IT) and the HJA-750C (750C), simultaneously for seven consecutive days to represent a typical week. The accelerometers estimated daily average step counts and time spent per day in LPA, MPA, and MVPA. If a participant had data for ≥4 days (>10 h/day) it was considered valid. The difference and agreement between the two ASPs were analyzed using a paired t-test, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), and a Bland–Altman analysis in total and for each type of worker. Results. Among all workers, the 750C measured significantly (p < 0.05) less SB, MPA, MVPA, and more LPA compared with the 350IT. The agreements in ICC were high (ICC ≥ 0.94). Conclusions. Compared with the 350IT, the newer generation 750C ASP accelerometer may not provide equivalent estimates of activity time, regardless of the type of physical activity.