Initial Validation of the CSA Activity Monitor during Rehabilitative Exercise among Older Adults with Chronic Disease

The authors examined the validity of the Computer Science and Application (CSA) activity monitor during a bout of rehabilitative exercise among older adults with chronic disease. In order to determine convergent validity, 50 participants were monitored during a 30-min walk in Study 1. In order to assess concurrent validity, 10 volunteers wore both a CSA accelerometer and a Cosmed K4 b 2 portable gas-analysis unit during 30 min of rehabilitative exercise in Study 2. Study 1 results revealed significant ( p < .01) positive relationships between mean CSA activity counts and estimated METs ( r = .60), pedometer readings ( r = .47), 6-min walk ( r = .62), and self-efficacy ( r = .45). Study 2 results demonstrated a significant ( p < .01) positive correlation between CSA activity counts and oxygen uptake ( r = .72). The findings suggest that the CSA activity monitor is an effective objective measure of physical activity during a structured, moderate-intensity bout of exercise among older adults with chronic disease.