Objective: E-diaries and accelerometers promise more objective, real-time measurements of health behavior. However, social-psychological theory suggests that using electronic behavioral monitoring may influence rather than just record physical activity (PA), especially when a device is novel.
Design: Participants (n = 146) were randomly assigned to either an accelerometer-only, e-diary-only, accelerometer + e-diary, or a no-technology control group for one week to assess how these technologies influenced PA, both perceived and actual, in young adults.
Method: Participants reported their PA, overall and number of discrete exercise sessions (DES) at baseline and follow-up; accelerometers provided daily step counts and e-diaries captured daily reports of PA for the active week of the study.
Results: Average daily steps in the accelerometer-only and accelerometer + e-diary groups did not differ nor did daily reports of PA via e-diary compared to accelerometer + e-diary group, showing that neither technology affected actual PA. ANCOVAS tested group differences in perceived PA; The accelerometer-only group had increased perceived overall PA but not DES compared to no-technology control.
Conclusions: Accelerometers may increase perceived overall PA, but the tested technologies did not increase DES or actual PA, suggesting that they may be viable unbiased measures of PA.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/lalison-phillips/21/
This article is published as Eisenberg, Miriam H., L. Alison Phillips, Lauren Fowler, and Philip J. Moore. "The impact of E-diaries and accelerometers on young adults' perceived and objectively assessed physical activity." Psychology of Sport and Exercise 30 (2017): 55-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.01.008.