The magnitude of the error (for either instrument) is not likely an important threat to the assessment of free-living ambulatory populations but may be a problem for pedometers when monitoring frail older adults with slow gaits. On the other hand, CSA accelerometers erroneously detect more nonsteps than the Yamax pedometer under typical motor vehicle traveling conditions. This threat to validity is likely only problematic when using the accelerometer to assess physical activity in sedentary individuals who travel extensively by motor vehicle.
Different brands of motion sensors detect steps differently; therefore, caution must be used when comparing step counts between studies that have employed different brands of motion sensors. Taking into consideration the results of both studies and the initial walking test used for instrument screening purposes, it appears that, of the three pedometers tested, the YAM pedometer is most consistently accurate under both controlled and free-living conditions. Future research must consider presenting motion sensor accuracy in absolute terms so that the magnitude of error is not underestimated.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether taking 10,000 steps in a day is equivalent to meeting the current minimum physical activity guidelines of accumulating at least 30 min of moderate physical activity (IMPA). Fifty-nine women ages 20-65 years wore a pedometer and accelerometer concurrently on their right hip for 1 day. There were no differences in the age, body mass index, or the amount of time the pedometers and accelerometers were worn between the 10K+ and the < 10K groups. The 10K+ group accumulated significantly more steps and minutes of MPA than the < 10K group (M = 13,084 steps, SD = 2,603 vs. M = 7,518 steps, SD = 1,956; and M = 62.1 min, SD = 27.7 vs. M = 38.8 min, SD = 18.9; p < .05). A 2 x 2 chi-square analysis demonstrated no difference between the proportions of 10K and < 10K participants who met the step goal, when all minutes of MPA accumulated throughout the day were considered (chi2 = 1.8, df = 1, p = .175). When only continuous bouts of MPA lasting > 5 min and > 10 min were considered, a significantly greater proportion of 10K participants met the current physical activity guidelines than the < 10K participants (chi2 = 11.5, df = 1, p = .001, and chi2 = 5.9, df = 1, p = .015, respectively). Our finding, suggest that individuals who accumulate 10,000 steps/day are more likely to meet the current physical activity guidelines by engaging in the length of bouts promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine (Pate et al., 1995) and the US Surgeon General (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). However, the data also reveal that accumulating 10,000 steps/day does not guarantee meeting the guidelines in the bout lengths documented to confer the health benefits of physical activity.
Recent reviews of the literature have demonstrated that exercise has a positive impact on cognitive performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an acute bout of aerobic exercise on executive functioning in college-age adults. For the experimental intervention, the effects of 20 min of self-paced moderate-intensity exercise on a treadmill were compared to the effects of a 20-min sedentary control period. Executive functioning was assessed using Stroop color-word interference and negative priming tests. Results indicated that the bout of exercise led to improved performance on the Stroop color-word interference task but no change in performance on the negative priming task. This finding suggests that exercise may facilitate cognitive performance by improving the maintenance of goal-oriented processing in the brain.
Background:The purpose of this study was to describe the pedometer-determined physical activity levels of American youth.Methods:A secondary analysis of six existing data sets including 1839 (1046 females, 793 males; ages 6 to 18) school-aged, predominantly white subjects from the southwest US. Grade clusters for elementary (grades 1 to 3), upper elementary (grades 4 to 6), middle school (grades 7 to 9), and high school (grades 10 to 12) were created for statistical analysis.Results:Males in grades 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 accumulated significantly more steps/d (13,110 ± 2870 and 13,631 ± 3463, respectively; P < 0.001) than males in grades 7 to 9 and 10 to 12 (11,082 ± 3437 and 10,828 ± 3241). Females in grades 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 accumulated significantly more steps/d (11,120 ± 2553 and 11,125 ± 2923; P < 0.001) than females in grades 7 to 9 and 10 to 12 (10,080 ± 2990 and 9706 ± 3051).Conclusions:Results are consistent with those reported for other objective assessments of youth activity indicating that males are typically more active than females and physical activity is less prevalent among secondary school youth than those in elementary school. Pedometer-determined physical activity levels of youth, including secondary school youth, are higher than reported for adult populations.
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