The health benefits of a pedometer based 100,000 steps/week physical activity program

• Main Author: Neureuther, Earlene R.
• Other Authors: Kaminsky, Leonard A., 1955-
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Walking > Physiological aspects.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/188400; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1366497

The purpose of this study was to determine if increasing physical activity to 100,000 steps/week would lead to improvements in cardiovascular risk factors for the "somewhat active" to "active" population. Thirty-one subjects, 13 male (mean age 43.5 ± 14.5 years) and 18 female (mean age 38.9 ± 12.6 years) who volunteered to participate in this study completed the full 16 weeks. Subjects were eligible for the study if they were healthy, could ambulate, and their baseline activity level met the step count criteria (> 7,500 - <12,500 steps/day). Subjects underwent laboratory testing comprised of resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, body composition, blood lipid analysis, bone mineral density, and a surrogate measure of cardio-respiratory fitness, prior to and 16 weeks after completing the 100,000 steps/week intervention. After the completion of preliminary assessments, subjects were asked to wear a pedometer continuously for 16 weeks; increasing their number of steps from baseline to 100,000 steps/week. Fifty-eight percent of subjects adhered (> 90,000 steps/week) to the 100,000 steps/week physical activity program. Subjects demonstrated significant reductions in body composition measurements overtime with increased physical activity. These improvements included body mass index 27.2 ± 3.6 to 26.8 ± 3.6 kg/m2, total percent body fat 35.4 ± 9.9 to 33.9 ± 10.3%, and waist circumference 83.9 ± 10.3 to 81.6 ± 10.1cm from pre to post measurements. In conclusion, individuals already meeting minimal physical activity recommendations (i.e. somewhat active/active) can gain health benefits particularly in body composition by increasing to 100,000 steps/week with the use of a pedometer.Key Words: physical activity, pedometer, walking, weight loss, adherence, dose-response, intervention. === School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science