Women with pedometers step up exercise levels

Women with pedometers and a goal of 10,000 steps per day walked more than those whose goal was a brisk, 30-minute walk, according to new research published in the April issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The study outcomes contribute to a widespread effort to promote fitness with the use of step-counting devices to increase physical activity.

The study followed 58 women who were physically inactive before the study, averaging fewer than 7,000 steps a day. Participants were divided into two groups: - A “30-minute group” instructed to take a brisk, 30-minute walk on most, preferably all, days of the week - A “10K group” instructed to walk 10,000 steps per day

All participants wore sealed pedometers that recorded the steps taken each day. To establish baseline levels of activity, steps were measured for 14 days. During the four-week experiment, the 10K group also wore pedometers that were not sealed, allowing participants to track their steps throughout the day. Thirty-minute walkers kept activity logs recording when the pedometer was put on and taken off each day, along with their timed walking bouts. Those in the 10K group logged when the pedometer was put on and taken off, as well as total steps accumulated each day. They also had the option to record which physical activities they performed to reach the goal of 10,000 steps per day.

Results:

• Over the four-week intervention, the 30-minute group accumulated an average of 8,270 steps per day and the 10K group averaged 10,149 steps per day.
• On days when they met their target, the 10K group averaged 11,775 steps compared with 9,505 for the 30-minute group.
• On days when they did not meet their target, 10K walkers still averaged significantly more activity than the 30-minute group (7,780 and 5,597 steps, respectively.)

Compared with their baseline step count before the four-week experiment, the 10K group averaged significantly more steps even on days when they did not meet their goal of 10,000 steps. Step counts for participants in the 30-minute group were about the same as their baseline levels on nonattainment days.

“Pedometers are quite popular now, and with good reason,” said lead researcher Dixie L. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM. “Our study shows that they can provide an incentive for people to increase their activity levels. Study participants who monitored their daily steps with pedometers tended to walk more every day, even when they were below their goal of 10,000 steps per day. For many individuals, walking is the preferred way to reach ACSM’s recommended level of physical activity, which contributes directly to better fitness and health. In a society where poor diet and physical inactivity contribute to nearly 400,000 deaths a year, increasing our level of physical activity has a very beneficial effect on public health.”

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 international, national, and regional members are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.