Pedometer measurement of physical activity and chronic disease risk factors of obese lower socioeconomic status African American women.
BACKGROUND
To evaluate physical activity with pedometers and health markers of chronic disease in obese, lower socioeconomic African American women.


METHODS
Thirty-five women (48 +/- 8 years) wore pedometers for 2 weeks. One-way analyses of variances were used to compare age, weight, body mass indices (BMI), and health markers of chronic disease (including blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, glycosylated hemoglobin, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein) between women who were classified by steps per day as sedentary (SED < 5000; 2941 +/- 1161 steps/d) or active (ACT > or = 5000; 7181 +/- 2398 steps/d).


RESULTS
ACT had significantly lower BMI (ACT: 37.2 +/- 5.6; SED: 44.4 +/- 7.2 kg/m2) and hip circumferences (ACT: 37.2 +/- 5.6; SED: 44.4 +/- 37.2 cm) and higher total cholesterol (ACT: 230 +/- 53; SED: 191 +/- 32 mg/dL) than SED. There were no differences in health markers of chronic disease between SED and ACT. Pearson product moment correlations showed significant negative correlations between steps/d and weight (r = -.42), BMI (r = -.46), and hip circumference (r = -.47).


CONCLUSIONS
Increased levels of physical activity were associated with reduced BMI and hip circumferences but were not associated with lower health markers for chronic disease in obese, lower socioeconomic African American women.
Panton
Lynn B
LB
Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, 436 Sandels Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Kushnick
Michael R
MR
Kingsley
J Derek
JD
Moffatt
Robert J
RJ
Haymes
Emily M
EM
Toole
Tonya
T
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016552:Ergometry; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011203:Poverty; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*