Validation of the SenseWear mini armband in children during semi-structure activity settings

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the validity of different SenseWear software (algorithms v5.2 vs. algorithm v2.2) for estimating energy expenditure (EE) in children. Design: Original research. Methods: Forty-five children aged 7-13 years performed 12 randomly assigned activities (out of a set of 24) while wearing a SWA with simultaneous monitoring via portable calorimetry (IC). Each activity lasted 5 min, with a 1 min break between activities. The estimated EE values from the SWA were compared to the measured EE values from the IC using 3-way (Method x Algorithm x Activity) mixed model ANOVA. Results: The analyses revealed a significant method (IC vs. SWA) x Algorithm (v5.2 vs. v2.2) interaction, with significantly smaller errors (IC-SWA) for the newer v5.2 algorithms (0.25 +/- 0.09 kcal min(-1)) than the older v2.2 algorithms (1.04 +/- 0.09 kcal min(-1)). The mean absolute percent error (MAPE) was 17.0 +/- 12.1% for SWA(5 2) algorithm and 31.4 +/- 11.1% for SWA(2.2) algorithm. The v5.2 algorithms yielded non-significant (p > 0.5) differences in EE estimates for most of the walking related activities as well as for stationary cycling at moderate intensity (MAPE = 14.5%). Conclusions: The smaller errors in estimated EE with the SenseWear v5.2 algorithms (compared to v2.2) demonstrate continued incremental improvements in estimates of EE for monitoring free-living activities in children. (C) 2014 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.