Utility of pedometer step recommendations for predicting overweight in children

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity Vol. 31; no. 7; pp. 1179 - 1182
• Main Authors: Eisenmann, J.C, Laurson, K.R, Wickel, E.E, Gentile, D, Walsh, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.07.2007; Nature Publishing; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adiposity; Age; Anthropometry; Biological and medical sciences; Body mass index; Child; children; Children & youth; Control; Diagnosis; Epidemiology; Ethnicity; Exercise; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Girls; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; measuring devices; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Motor Activity; Obesity; Obesity in children; Overweight; Overweight - diagnosis; Overweight - epidemiology; Pedometers; physical activity; Physical Fitness; Physiological aspects; prediction; Predictive Value of Tests; Public Health; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; short-communication; Task forces; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; waist circumference; Walking; United States; United States > US; Iowa; dose–response; abdominal obesity; walking; pediatric; Human; Physical exercise; Obesity; Pediatrics; Nutrition; Anthropometry; Body weight; Nutrition disorder; Prediction; Metabolic diseases; Corporal biometry; Pedometer; Recommendation; Abdomen; Dose activity relation; Overweight; Locomotion; Walking; dose-response; Predictive factor; Child; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803553

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of pedometer-based physical activity recommendations in predicting childhood adiposity. Design: Subjects (n=608) (9.6 years) were from two Midwestern USA communities. Physical activity was assessed by a pedometer. The percentage of subjects meeting physical activity recommendations was determined using published recommendations. Overweight and obesity were determined based on reference values for the body mass index (BMI) developed by the International Obesity Task Force. An elevated waist circumference (WC) was determined based on age- and sex-specific reference values >75th percentile. Results: Children who did not meet the pedometer recommendations were about two times more likely to be overweight/obese and have an elevated WC compared with those meeting recommendations. The BMI and WC were significantly different across pedometer step count groups in males and females. Conclusion: Subjects not meeting the recommendations for steps per day were more likely to be classified with the overweight phenotype than those meeting the recommendation. A dose-response relationship between pedometer steps per day and adiposity is also apparent.