Reliability of Pedometer-Determined Free-Living Physical Activity Data in College Women

This study examined stability and reliability of free-living physical activity assessed by pedometer in 69 young female college students (M age = 18.7 years, SD = 1.2, range: 18-25 years; body mass index = 23.2 kg/m2, SD = 0.6) for two complete weeks (Week 1 and Week 2) separated by 12 weeks. During Week 1, participants took an average of 8,880 steps/day, SD = 3,219, range: 1,858-19,480; during Week 2 9,088 steps/day, SD = 3,299, range 1,736-16,837; t (68) = -.568, p = .572. In both weeks, only Sunday differed significantly (repeated measures analysis of variance; Week 1: p < .0001; Week 2: p < .01) from all other days of the week. The computed intraclass correlation between weeks was moderate (.72). Group mean pedometer-determined physical activity was stable across 2 weeks separated by 12 weeks in this young, healthy sample of women. Individuals within these groups held their rank order to a moderate extent over time. These findings provide important evidence of the reliability of pedometer-determined physical activity data and are of practical importance to study design.

[1]  D. Bassett,et al.  Pedometer measures of free-living physical activity: comparison of 13 models. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[2]  Scott E Crouter,et al.  Validity of 10 electronic pedometers for measuring steps, distance, and energy cost. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[3]  J. K. Nelson,et al.  Research Methods in Physical Activity , 1990 .

[4]  G. R. Jones,et al.  Contribution of Structured Exercise Class Participation and Informal Walking for Exercise to Daily Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults , 2002, Research quarterly for exercise and sport.

[5]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  Measurement of daily walking distance-questionnaire versus pedometer. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[6]  C. Tudor-Locke,et al.  Pedometer-determined ambulatory activity in individuals with type 2 diabetes. , 2002, Diabetes research and clinical practice.

[7]  Catrine Tudor-Locke,et al.  How Many Steps/Day Are Enough? Preliminary Pedometer Indices for Public Health , 2004 .

[8]  Catrine Tudor-Locke,et al.  Utility of pedometers for assessing physical activity: convergent validity. , 2002, Sports medicine.

[9]  H. Nagaraja,et al.  Comparisons of four methods of estimating physical activity in adult women. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[10]  Scott E Crouter,et al.  Accuracy and reliability of 10 pedometers for measuring steps over a 400-m walk. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[11]  Warren W. Tryon,et al.  Reliability assessment of pedometer activity measurements , 1991 .

[12]  C. Tudor-Locke,et al.  Motion sensor accuracy under controlled and free-living conditions. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[13]  Catrine Tudor-Locke,et al.  Comparison of pedometer and accelerometer accuracy under controlled conditions. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[14]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  Accuracy of five electronic pedometers for measuring distance walked. , 1996, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[15]  A. Gardner,et al.  Physical activity monitoring in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease. , 1997, Journal of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.

[16]  Catherine B. Chan,et al.  Cross-sectional relationship of pedometer-determined ambulatory activity to indicators of health. , 2003, Obesity research.

[17]  C. Tudor-Locke,et al.  A Preliminary Study to Determine Instrument Responsiveness to Change with a Walking Program: Physical Activity Logs versus Pedometers , 2001, Research quarterly for exercise and sport.

[18]  P. Jones,et al.  Evaluation of a movement detector to measure daily activity in patients with chronic lung disease. , 1997, The European respiratory journal.

[19]  P. Deurenberg,et al.  A physical activity questionnaire for the elderly. , 1991, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[20]  T. Rowland.  The biological basis of physical activity. , 1998, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[21]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  How many days of pedometer monitoring predict weekly physical activity in adults? , 2005, Preventive medicine.

[22]  Barbara E Ainsworth,et al.  Comparison of pedometer and accelerometer measures of free-living physical activity. , 2002, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.