JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

There is increasing recognition of the need for more comprehensive surveillance data, including information on physical activity of all intensities, sedentary behavior, and sleep. However, meeting this need poses significant challenges for current surveillance systems, which are mainly reliant on self-report.

Objective:

The primary objective of this project is to develop and evaluate the feasibility of a sensor-based system for use in the surveillance of physical activity sedentary behavior and sleep (SurPASS).

Methods:

The SurPASS project involves an international, multidisciplinary team of researchers collaborating with an industrial partner. The SurPASS system consists of 1) a thigh-worn accelerometer with Bluetooth connectivity, 2) a smartphone app, 3) an integrated back-end, facilitating the automated upload, analysis, storage, and provision of individualized feedback in a manner compliant with European Union regulations on data privacy, and 4) an administrator web-interface (web-app) to monitor progress. The system development and evaluation will be performed in three phases. These phases will include gathering user input and specifications (phase 1), the iterative development, evaluation and refinement of the system (phase 2), and the feasibility evaluation (phase 3).

Results:

If feasible, the SurPASS system could be a catalyst towards large-scale sensor-based surveillance of physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep. It could also be adapted for cohort and interventional research, thus contributing to the generation of evidence for both interventions and public health policies and recommendations.

Conclusions:

If feasible, the SurPASS system could be a catalyst towards large-scale sensor-based surveillance of physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep. It could also be adapted for cohort and interventional research, thus contributing to the generation of evidence for both interventions and public health policies and recommendations.