The aim of the fourth health check (4HC) was to investigate the levels and patterns of physical activity and to relate this to body composition. The data contributes to facilitating the development of interventions aimed at keeping people more active as they get older.

The 4HC ran between September 2012 and March 2016 and a total of 5,695 participants attended an appointment. These appointments lasted approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.

 

 

Questionnaires

Participants completed questionnaires relating to:

• Health and lifestyle questionnaire (HLQ)
• Physical activity (PAQ)
• A health perception questionnaire (EQ5D)
• A family questionnaire, aimed at determining the feasibility of carrying out future studies involving the children and grandchildren of our original EPIC participants.

Health Check Appointment

Repeat measures from previous health checks were carried out in the 4HC.

In addition, there were two new areas of data collection:

• A total body iDEXA scan (DEXA = Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry) made it possible to measure body composition more accurately. Specifically, this scan enabled the investigation of total body fat distribution (overall and regional fat and muscle mass), it also produced results for total bone mineral density.
• Some participants attending the 4HC were asked to wear an activity monitor and a GPS receiver for 7 days following their appointment. These aimed to better assess day to day activity levels and to provide information on the way in which this activity was undertaken.

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