Investigation of the Relationship Between Indoor Air Quality and Physical Activity

The relationship between indoor air quality and physical activity was investigated. An air quality sensing device (BME680) was used to measure temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds in a classroom environment. Physical Activity of a person in the classroom was recorded concurrently using an accelerometer (ADXL335); data from devices were integrated through a Bluetooth low energy protocol. Heterogeneous sensor data were stored on a cloud database, which facilitated further analysis and visualization. Recording was undertaken in a computer laboratory with forty-five students. Statistical tests showed a positive correlation between carbon dioxide and air quality. However, there was no significant correlation between air quality and physical activity. Further recording was undertaken in a more controlled environment, a smaller room in which a high intensity training session was undertaken. This showed a positive correlation between physical activity and temperature and a negative correlation between humidity and physical activity. The Internet of things (IoT) can provide an ambient solution to assist with environmental monitoring and body worn activity trackers have achieved general user acceptance, but in real world applications technical issues persist with sensor calibration, reliability, device connectivity and data integration. Thus, the Internet of Everything, i.e., sensing, processing, and using environmental information provides significant recording and integration challenges.