| Summary: | Includes abstract. === Thesis (Ph.D. (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine))--University of Cape Town, 2012. === Includes bibliographical references. === The use of objective measures of physical activity in addition to, or in place of, subjective or self-report measures of physical activity, is being increasingly promoted in Physical Activity Epidemiology research. This thesis investigates methodological issues related to the use of objective measures of physical activity and presents pioneering objectively measured physical activity survey results from a rural South African setting. In this series of studies, we firstly explored the sources of variance in the objective measure of physical activity (uni-axial accelerometer) as a function of residence and also movement monitor placement. Secondly, we highlighted the importance of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) in a rural African setting and the importance of considering the full spectrum of accelerometer counts when contrasting rural and urban populations. Thirdly, we demonstrated novel approaches to pedometry data from a rural African setting, such that volume-intensity effects could be inferred, and using estimated energy expenditure whether current physical activity guidelines are met. Finally, we indentified that the current recommendations for physical activity and health, applied in a rural African setting, may miss important and possible health-promoting physical activity.
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