Use of the StepWatch activity monitor for characterization of normal activity levels of children.
Clinical and research measures for walking activity measure capacity and performance. Existing tools such as 3-dimensional gait analysis and validated gross motor instruments examine capacity but do not measure performance. We defined normal activity levels for 20 children ages 5-7 and 9-11 years using the StepWatch Activity Monitor (SAM). Average daily step counts varied widely by age and sex (mean 7604 +/- 2485), but the percent time spent at high, medium, and low levels of activity was very consistent regardless of age or sex of the child.
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. kit.song@seattlechildrens.org
Kit M
KM
Song
Kristie F
KF
Bjornson
Teresa
T
Cappello
Kim
K
Coleman
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009043:Motor Activity; D012016:Reference Values