Physical activity measurement through accelerometry during group tele-exercise in individuals with spinal cord injury: A case series: Accelerometry during exercise in individuals with SCI

Abstract

Purpose: National guidelines for health suggest 150 weekly minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity for individuals with disabilities. Less than half of individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI) achieve these recommendations. Strategies to measure physical activity during exercise is critical to improve health outcomes for individuals with SCI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) minutes during exercise in individuals with SCI enrolled in a group tele-exercise clinical trial.

Materials/methods: Individuals with chronic SCI (n = 6, injury duration 7-48 years) aged 26-65 years (4 male/2 female) enrolled in a clinical trial [NCT05360719] investigating a novel group tele-exercise program. Participants completed two 45-minute sessions with wrist-worn Actigraph GT3X+, and were instructed to record their rate of perceived exertion (RPE) for each class segment (warm up, stability, cardiovascular, strength training, cool down).

Results: Participants achieved MVPA during stability, cardiovascular, and strength sections of the group tele-exercise class. Based on class procedure, this accounts for up to 30 minutes MVPA per session.

Conclusion: This work demonstrates feasibility of accelerometry-based PA tracking during exercise interventions for individuals with SCI. It begins to demonstrate capacity for MVPA during our group tele-exercise program. Future investigation of intraclass PA tracking with a larger sample will further clarify MVPA during this intervention.