Reporting of Accelerometry in Health Research: A Scoping Review of Current Guidance

TL;DR

This paper reviews current guidelines for reporting accelerometry data in health research and finds inconsistencies in reporting practices, suggesting a need for a unified framework.

Contribution

The study identifies and synthesizes existing reporting guidance for accelerometry in health research, highlighting gaps in methodological rigor and stakeholder involvement.

Findings

The review identified 380 items of reporting guidance, synthesized into 124 unique items.

Reporting guidance was consistent for data collection and processing but less consistent for specific metrics to report.

Only 17% of the included publications described stakeholder involvement in guideline development.

Abstract

The use of accelerometers in health research is ubiquitous, but reporting of methods for translating raw acceleration data into movement behavior estimates remains inconsistent. This scoping review aims to identify and summarize existing reporting guidance for accelerometer‐based assessment of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep in health research. We systematically searched seven bibliographic databases up to May 2024 for literature containing guidance on reporting of accelerometry results in health research. We assessed the methodological rigor of reporting guidance development using the AGREE II tool and EQUATOR Network's best‐practice recommendations. A thematic synthesis categorized reporting guidance across four themes: (1) data collection, (2) data management and initial processing, (3) deriving movement behaviors from acceleration data, and (4) summary metrics. Searches retrieved 7739 records, from which 47 publications were included. Most applied evidence synthesis methods (76%), whilst others used consensus workshops or empirical research to generate reporting recommendations. Only 17% described stakeholder involvement, with limited descriptions of their role. We identified 380 items of reporting guidance, which were synthesized into 124 unique items. Reporting guidance was consistent for data collection, data management and initial processing, and variable derivation, but less so regarding which specific metrics to report. Existing reporting guidance for accelerometry in health research is extensive and wide in scope, but varies in methodological rigor and stakeholder involvement. A consolidated and systematically developed framework is needed to enhance the reproducibility and comparability of future accelerometer‐based research, incorporating stakeholder engagement, consensus‐driven methodology, and piloting to maximize uptake.

PROSPERO Registration: CRD42021272228

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