Pedometer-Determined Physical Activity Levels of Youth

Abstract

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.

Pedometer-Assessed Physical Activity in Children and Young Adults with CKD

“…In our study, females took approximately 5000 fewer daily steps than males, and older children were less active than younger children; the latter difference has also been observed in healthy children (22). In another finding similar to observations in healthy children, we noted that children and youths with college-educated mothers were more physically active than those with less educated mothers, and children with higher BMI were less active than those with lower BMI.…”

“…In the general population, physical activity has been associated with lower prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia, and lower levels of physical (22). Dashed lines depict recommended target levels of daily activity (13).…”

The Use of Pedometers for Monitoring Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents: Measurement Considerations

“…It is therefore common practice to report mean daily step counts for boys and girls separately. Other categorisation variables commonly applied where appropriate include age group or school year/grade and BMI since it has been reported that step counts decline with increasing age 39,46,52,75 and BMI. 50,63 Ethnic differences in step counts have also been reported, 47 therefore where relevant it may also be important to report step count data according to ethnicity.…”

“…A number of researchers have excluded data from a particular day, or all of the data from a participant, if participants have reported removing the pedometer for over an hour. 11,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50] To enhance comparability between studies it is recommended that future studies apply the same protocol of excluding data from a particular day if participants report removing the pedometer for over one hour on that day.…”

The Effects of the Type of Skill Test, Choice, and Gender on the Situational Motivation of Physical Education Students

“…Research has shown that adolescent girls are not as physically active as adolescent boys and children (Le Masurier et al, 2005;Trost, Pate, & Sallis, 2002). However, frequent and repeatedly positive situational experiences (of which skill testing in several sports/activities over the course of a school year or years is part) may exert bottom-up effects and eventually lead to changes in one's lifestyle choices (Deci & Ryan, 1985;Vallerand, 2001).…”