New research by Australian scientists has revealed that pedometers are as equally as effective in children as they are in adults in encouraging more physical activity.
Research has already found pedometers help encourage adults to be more active, but this is the first evidence to show that they work just as well with children.
The researchers at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales conducted a review and an analysis of 14 international studies where pedometers were used to track physical activity in children aged eight to 11 years and teenagers aged 14 to 17 years and they found that pedometers are a successful way of encouraging young people to get active.
Dr. David Lubans from the University's School of Education says prior to the study there was scant information about the effects of pedometers on physical activity among young people; he says recent studies looking at the impact of pedometers on adults found physical activity increased by around 2,000 steps per day and decreased body mass index and blood pressure levels and while pedometers appeared to have an important part to play in the promotion of activity among adults, much less was known regarding the impact on behaviour in youth.
Dr. Lubans says their research found that in 12 of the 14 studies, pedometers were successful in increasing physical activity among youngsters and increases of 500-2,500 steps per day were recorded and were most successful in increasing physical activity among pre-teens and teenagers with initially low levels of activity.