Objective: To evaluate psychometrics of wearable devices measuring physical activity (PA) in ambulant children with gait abnormalities due to neuromuscular conditions. Data Sources: We searched PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus in March 2023. Study Selection: We included studies if (1) participants were ambulatory children (2-19y) with gait abnormalities, (2) reliability and validity were analyzed, and (3) peer-reviewed studies in the English language and full-text were available. We excluded studies of children with primarily visual conditions, behavioral diagnoses, or primarily cognitive disability. We performed independent screening and inclusion, data extraction, assessment of the data, and grading of results with 2 researchers. Data Extraction: Our report follows Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We assessed methodological quality with Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health measurement instruments. We extracted data on reported reliability, measurement error, and validity. We performed meta-analyses for reliability and validity coefficient values. Data Synthesis: Of 6911 studies, we included 26 with 1064 participants for meta-analysis. Results showed that wearables measuring PA in children with abnormal gait have high to very high reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]+, test-retest reliability=0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-0.89; I2=88.57%; ICC+, interdevice reliability=0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99; I2=71.01%) and moderate to high validity in a standardized setting (r+, construct validity=0.63; 95% CI, 0.36-0.89; I2=99.97%; r+, criterion validity=0.68; 95% CI, 0.57-0.79; I2=98.70%; r+, criterion validity cutoff point based=0.69; 95% CI, 0.58-0.80; I2=87.02%). The methodological quality of all studies included in the meta-analysis was moderate. Conclusions: There was high to very high reliability and moderate to high validity for wearables measuring PA in children with abnormal gait, primarily due to neurological conditions. Clinicians should be aware that several moderating factors can influence an assessment.
In this presentation of her current research project Rebecca Louise Breuer questions the common enhancement of the body through, for instance, self-tracking, data collecting and monitoring of everyday and athletic movement. She attempts to provide an alternative perspective through discussing the concept of uncommon sense by turning to (micro-)phenomenological philosophical concepts as presented by Gilles Deleuze, Hermann Schmitz, Claire Petitmengin and Peter Sloterdijk. The case study used during this presentation, which will sketch an artistic, creative alternative to common sensoring devices, is found in the sound producing pressure sensors incorporated in the Lace Sensor Dresses by Anja Hertenberger and Meg Grant, artists working in the field of e-textiles and wearable electronics.
As the two prime examples of sport light, running and walking have become very popular sports activities in the past decades. There are references in the literature of similarities between both sports, however these parallels have never been studied. In addition, the current digitalisation of society can have important influences on the further diversification of profiles. Data of a large-scale population survey among runners and walkers (n = 4913) in Flanders (Belgium) were used to study their sociodemographic, sports related and attitudinal characteristics, and wearable usage. The results showed that walkers are more often female, older, lower educated, and less often use wearables. To predict wearable usage, sports-related and attitudinal characteristics are important among runners but not among walkers. Motivational variables to use wearables are important to predict wearable usage among both runners and walkers. Additionally, whether or not the runner or walker registers the heart rate is the most important predictor. The present study highlights similarities and differences between runners and walkers. By adding attitudinal characteristics and including walkers this article provides new insights to the literature, which can be used by policymakers and professionals in the field of sport, exercise and health, and technology developers to shape their services accordingly.
A world where technology is ubiquitous and embedded in our daily lives is becoming increasingly likely. To prepare our students to live and work in such a future, we propose to turn Saxion’s Epy-Drost building into a living lab environment. This will entail setting up and drafting the proper infrastructure and agreements to collect people’s location and building data (e.g. temperature, humidity) in Epy-Drost, and making the data appropriately available to student and research projects within Saxion. With regards to this project’s effect on education, we envision the proposal of several derived student projects which will provide students the opportunity to work with huge amounts of data and state-of-the-art natural interaction interfaces. Through these projects, students will acquire skills and knowledge that are necessary in the current and future labor-market, as well as get experience in working with topics of great importance now and in the near future. This is not only aligned with the Creative Media and Game Technologies (CMGT) study program’s new vision and focus on interactive technology, but also with many other education programs within Saxion. In terms of research, the candidate Postdoc will study if and how the data, together with the building’s infrastructure, can be leveraged to promote healthy behavior through playful strategies. In other words, whether we can persuade people in the building to be more physically active and engage more in social interactions through data-based gamification and building actuation. This fits very well with the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) research group’s agenda in Augmented Interaction, and CMGT’s User Experience line. Overall, this project will help spark and solidify lasting collaboration links between AmI and CMGT, give body to AmI’s new Augmented Interaction line, and increase Saxion’s level of education through the dissemination of knowledge between researchers, teachers and students.
Er zijn veel situaties waarin het belangrijk is om de positie en/of de loopbeweging van personen te kunnen meten, zoals voor de brandweer, voor het leger, in de sport of bij revalidatie. In een aantal situaties geldt hierbij de randvoorwaarde dat je geen gebruik kunt maken van bestaande infrastructuren. GPS werkt bijvoorbeeld alleen buiten en is voor veel toepassingen niet nauwkeurig genoeg. Infrastructuur in gebouwen (zoals WiFi) werkt niet altijd bij brand, en bovendien wil je vaak (ambulant) meten in een praktijkomgeving of in een onbekend gebouw, in plaats van in een ?labomgeving?. Een interessant gegeven is dat de afzonderlijke technieken voor het oplossen van bovenstaande problemen wel bestaan, maar dat nog geen enkele partij deze heeft kunnen integreren in een bruikbaar product. Blijkbaar levert de inherente complexiteit van het onderwerp van dergelijke systemen problemen op. In het SaxShoe project onderzoeken Saxion, HvA, NHL, Universiteit Twente en het bedrijfsleven hoe we een schoen-zool systeem kunnen ontwikkelen voor het meten en op afstand monitoren van de locatie en het loopgedrag van de gebruiker in situaties waarbij standaard infrastructuur (GPS, WiFi, camera?s) ontbreekt. In het project wordt een empirische aanpak gehanteerd. Dit op basis van de constatering dat veel zaken in theorie wel zouden moeten werken, maar dat de praktijk weerbarstig is. Door cyclisch een sensorschoen te ontwikkelen worden kennisvragen beantwoord. Deze (deel)vragen betreffen kennisontwikkeling voor nauwkeurige positiebepaling op basis van inertiële navigatie, en gerelateerde vragen rond communicatie, energievoorziening, de verwerking in een schoen en de werking in praktijksituaties. Op basis van gebruikersfeedback wordt het onderzoek continue bijgestuurd (agile development). Om de aanpak concreet te maken richt het project zicht op het ontwikkelen van een brandweerlaars, als middel, niet als doel, maar wel als showcase voor de kennisontwikkeling. De ambitie is het realiseren van de norm van maximaal 10 meter afwijking na 20 minuten lopen. Hiervoor werken in het project topbedrijven die gespecialiseerd zijn in sensortechnologie samen met hogescholen en met bedrijven die gespecialiseerd zijn in de productie van schoenen en zolen. Het project levert inzicht, oplossingen en ontwerpregels op voor de problematiek die speelt bij het ontwerpen van wearables voor het meten van locatie en loopgedrag. Voor de technische bedrijven in het project biedt SaxShoe de mogelijkheid om nieuwe markten te openen voor bestaande technologieën. Voor de eindgebruikers, zoals de brandweer, biedt het concrete oplossingen voor bestaande problemen zoals de veiligheid van hulpverleners in gevaarlijke situaties.
