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INTRODUCTION In its 2008 survey, the Department of Defense Military Health System found that, similar to the general American population, 62% of active duty personnel were overweight. (1) Not surprisingly, [...]

Abstract. Pedometer-determined physical activity (PA) is inversely related to body composition in middle-aged adults; however, researchers have not established such a relationship in college students. Objective and Participants: In this [...]

Objective and Participants: At 2 Arizona State University (ASU) campuses, the authors measured student activity and distance walked on campus, as well as student-reported walkability around the student union. Methods: Students from ASU-Polytechnic (n = 20, 33% male) and ASU-Tempe (n = 20, 60% male) recorded distance walked on campus and wore physical activity monitors for 5 days. Results: Polytechnic students spent an average of 36.9 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week: Tempe students spent 69.5 minutes (p < .001). At Polytechnic, students walked an average of 7,674 steps per weekday: at Tempe, 11,294 steps (p = .003). Female students at Polytechnic walked an average of 1.3 kin/d; at Tempe, 4.3 km/d (p < .001). At Polytechnic, men walked an average of 1.4 km/d; at Tempe, 3.1 km/d (p = .03). Tempe students rated campus walkability as very good, whereas Polytechnic students rated it fair (p < .001). Conclusions: Students at both campuses met activity recommendations: noted differences may be attributed to the built environment's contribution to walkability. Keywords: built environment, college health, pedometer, physical activity, walkability, People often engage in walking, the most common form of physical activity, for recreation and exercise. Researchers (2-9) recently have examined walking for transportation, rather than simply a means of [...]

FITNESS: Why does my fitness band insist on 10,000 steps? It seems arbitrary. Is there a logic to that number? RUSS, SAN FRANCISCO, CA Blame Japan. The number comes from [...]

Do you have questions about your personal exercise program? Send your questions to us or email them to: lgrudnik@healthscience.org. Tiffany will answer your questions in an upcoming issue of the [...]

YOU'VE HEARD IT BEFORE: Losing weight and keeping it off is all about lifestyle change. Rather than launching into an extreme diet or hard-core exercise regimen that you're unlikely to [...]

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER yes. In overweight and obese patients, exercise interventions using a pedometer increase steps by about a mile per day over the same interventions without access to pedometer information [...]

A study analyzes the pattern of accelerometer-determined steps per day by U.S. children (6-11 years) and youth (12-19 years). Results reveal that the number of accelerometer-determined steps per day is at a peak value at 6 years of age, followed by a steady decline through childhood and into youth.

The study provides descriptive, epidemiological data on the average number of steps per day taken by U.S. adults and identifies predictors of pedometer-measured physical activity based on demographic and self-reported behavioral characteristics. Results show U.S. adults take fewer steps than those in Switzerland, Australia and Japan, suggesting that low levels of ambulatory physical activity contribute to the high prevalence of adult obesity in the U.S.

Several studies are conducted to explain the descriptive epidemiology of children, as well as youth pedometer-determined physical activity. The results demonstrate that daily steps are higher in boys, as compared to girls and also keep reducing with an increase in the age.

The study uses the generalizability theory to quantify multiple sources of measurement error and determine the number of days and seasons needed to characterize long-term levels of activity. Results demonstrate the potential for using the generalizability theory to make relative and absolute decisions.

The methods developed for measurement of physical activity in children of preschool age, and the measurement properties of direct observational systems, accelerometry, pedometry, HR monitoring, and proxy reports are reviewed. Systems for direct observation of physical activity and accelerometry are observed to be valid and reliable measures of physical activity in young children.

A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to examine the estimates from the pattern of pedometer data collected for young populations from first day of collection to last. The Canadian Physical Activity Levels among Youth demonstrated the feasibility of using pedometers for national surveillance of physical activity and suggested that two days are sufficient to determine step per day of population monitoring.

The study evaluates the effect of a Nutrition and Exercise Lifestyle Intervention Program (NELIP) for overweight (OW) and obese (OB) pregnant women on pregnancy weight gain, birth weight, and maternal weight retention at two months postpartum. Evidence suggests NELIP reduces the risk of excessive pregnancy weight gain with minimal weight retention at two months in OW and OB women.

The article studies the comparison between self-report Zutphen Physical Activity Questionnaire with accelerometers and pedometers to examine convergent validity. Findings reveal that convergent validity is weak in self-report Zutphen compared to those of accelerometers and pedometers.

A study was conducted to measure the uncensored accelerometer-determined steps per day by U.S. adults. Findings reveal that U.S. adults take approximately 10000 uncensored accelerometer-determined steps per day.

A review of studies on the reproducibility, validity, and feasibility of accelerometers and pedometers in studying the physical activity of children is presented. Increased evidence is found in the clinimetric quality of these equipment in youth. In addition, three pedometers and nine accelerometers are evaluated for their clinimetric quality.

A study was conducted to calculate the number of days that are required for monitoring of the pedometer to indicate the monthly ambulatory activity of adults. Results revealed that a minimum of 7 days monitoring is required to collate data for monthly ambulatory activity of adults.

A study was carried out to determine the effects of weather on pedometer measured steps of children. Results revealed that temperature and rainfall have an effect on childrenEs daily step counts and need to be considered when comparing physical activity at different locations.

A study was conducted using a pedometer to determine the number of days of observations that could reveal reliable estimates of physical activity in elderly individuals. Results showed that when ascertaining annual step counts, seasonal or random data sampling provided consistent data as required for the collection of necessary data.

The various effects of the pedometers and print materials (PM) on the physical activity (PA) in the breast cancer survivors after a randomized trial are discussed. The results prove that the breast-cancer specific PM has no impact on the enhancement of PA in such patients.

A study seeks to describe the sex-specific patterns of school children's daily pedometer-determined physical activity (PA) during physical education (PE), recess and lunchtime, and before and after school. The findings add to the cumulative evidence that boys are more active than similarly aged girls and that after-school PA represents approximately half of children's daily total PA, regardless of the child's sex.

A study was conducted to examine and improve the accuracy of pedometers used by elderly with slow walking speeds, with or without gait disorders, who do or do not use a cane. Results showed that the method is adequate and suitable for estimating the number of steps during walking in elderly people with slow walking speeds, with or without gait disorder, and with or without the use of a cane.

A study was conducted to examine levels of pedometer-determined physical activity in a multiethnic sample of New Zealand children and to investigate associations among weekday and weekend step counts, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and percentage body fat (%BF). The study results confirmed the link between daily step counts and body fatness in children and suggested the promotion of physical activity during the weekend as a key priority for young New Zealanders.

Byline: Beers, Tanya; Foley, Denise WE TEST IT Pedometers: Count on one of these to get fitter faster By Denise Foley; reporting by Tanya Beers You may not want to [...]

A study seeks to characterize pedometer-determined physical activity among a predominantly racial and ethnic minority sample of adults residing in low-income housing. The results suggest a high prevalence of physical inactivity among low-income housing residents, particularly in older-aged participants, women, non-working individuals, and those who are obese and overweight.

The accuracy of pedometer step counts and time during self-paced walking (SPW) and treadmill walking in children belonging to the age group of 5 to 11 years is studied. The results suggest that the findings are consistent with the adult studies with step count underestimation during slow walking and the accuracy of time suggests that time can also be used along with steps in quantifying the physical activity behavior of children.

At its simplest, exercise requires nothing more than a pair of sneakers. Everything else--gym memberships, exercise equipment, an open road--is optional. But certain devices can help you get more out [...]

All or nothing. That's always been my attitude toward getting- fit. I'd either do an intense hour-long workout, like running, or I wouldn't even lace up my sneakers. And after [...]

TO MEET current U.S. exercise guide--lines--30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity activity--you need to walk at a pace of 100 steps a minute. A simple trick: Clip on a pedometer [...]

FOR HEALTH, you may want to learn how to exercise as if it were summer all year long. An 18-month-long study of postmenopausal women found that they worked up more [...]