FREE ESSAY ON COMPUTER SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS

Jeremy Johnson
Kin 553 Dr. Shows
Sept. 18, 2000
The Department of Kinesiology at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Freer
Hall, a study of the relationship with activity measured by a portable accelerometer
using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) was conducted. In the study 20
healthy adult volunteers were used. 17 women and 3 men participated in the study after
providing written consent. The women had a mean height, weight, and body mass in kg were
72.4, 159.8, and 64.7 respectively, and the men measured to be 71, 180.3, and 85
respectively. All subjects were recruited by the university supervised physical activity
program for older adults. 50 percent of the subjects engage in volunteer work activity.
All physical activity was assessed using a Computer Science and Applications (CSA)
portable accelerometer worn on their belt over the non-dominant hip. Subjects wore the
CSA during waking hours for three consecutive weekdays. (Wednesday-Friday) The CSA has
been shown to provide valid assessments of physical activity during treadmill walking and
running. A complete technical description of the device has been published. Results
showed that the average CSA readings over the three-day period were low in the older age
group, however this difference was not statistically significant. Total PASP scores were
significantly associated with average 3-day CSA readings in the complete sample and in
the older age group. Significant associations between average CSA readings and PASE
household and occupational sub-scales were also noted in the older age group