The Stanford Center on Longevity convened a conference of academic and industry experts in April 2016 to consider the concept of a 24 Hour Activity Cycle. The current U.S. public health guidelines for activity (published in 2008) are limited to recommendations on only Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA). Since 2008, there has been a rapid expansion in accelerometer-based wearable devices that can measure activities across the intensity spectrum: sleep, sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous intensity.

The consensus of the group was that the 24 Hour Activity Cycle hypothesis provides an opportunity to consider a new paradigm to study physical activity and provide public health recommendations on what constitutes a healthy day.

The Stanford Center on Longevity thanks CDW for its sponsorship of the event.