Comparison of sleep and physical activity metrics from wrist-worn ActiGraph wGT3X-BT and GT9X accelerometers during free-living in adults

Background: ActiGraph accelerometers can monitor sleep and physical activity (PA) during free-living, but there is a need to confirm agreement in outcomes between different models.

Methods: Sleep and PA metrics from two ActiGraphs were compared after participants (N = 30) wore a GT9X and wGT3X-BT on their nondominant wrist for 7 days during free-living. PA metrics including total steps, counts, average acceleration—Euclidean Norm Minus One (ENMO) and Mean Amplitude Deviation, intensity gradient, the minimum acceleration value of the most active 10 and 30 min (M10, M30), time spent in activity intensities from vector magnitude (VM) counts, and ENMO cut points and sleep metrics (sleep period time window, sleep duration, sleep onset, and waking time) were compared.

Results: Excellent agreement was evident for average acceleration-Mean Amplitude Deviation, counts, total steps, M10, and light PA (VM counts) with good agreement evident from the remaining PA metrics apart from moderate–vigorous PA (VM counts) which demonstrated moderate agreement. Mean bias for all PA metrics were low, as were the limits of agreement for the intensity gradient, average acceleration-Mean Amplitude Deviation, and inactive time (ENMO and VM counts). The limits of agreement for all other PA metrics were >10%. Excellent agreement, low mean bias, and narrow limits of agreement were evident for all sleep metrics. All sleep and PA metrics demonstrated equivalence (equivalence zone of ≤10%) apart from moderate–vigorous PA (ENMO) which needed an equivalence zone of 16%.

Conclusions: Equivalent estimates of almost all PA and sleep metrics are provided from the GT9X and wGT3X-BT worn on the nondominant wrist.