Pedometer-determined physical activity levels of adolescents: differences by age, sex, time of week, and transportation mode to school.
BACKGROUND
Few studies have examined high school students' physical activity habits using objective measures. The purpose of this study was to describe pedometer-determined habitual physical activity levels of youth.


METHODS
236 high school students (age 12-18 years) wore sealed pedometers for 5 consecutive days. Data were analyzed using generalizing estimating equations.


RESULTS
Mean steps/d (+/- SE) differed significantly by sex (males, 10,849 (+/- 381; females, 9652 (+/- 289), age (junior students [years 9-11], 11,079 (+/- 330; senior students [years 12 and 13], 9422 (+/- 334), time of week (weekday, 12,259 (+/- 287; weekend day, 8241 (+/- 329), and mode of transportation to and from school (walkers, 13,308 (+/- 483; car transit users, 10,986 (+/- 435). Only 14.5% of students achieved at least 10,000 steps on every day during the monitoring period.


CONCLUSIONS
Daily step counts differed substantially by age, sex, time of week, and transportation mode to school.
Hohepa
Maea
M
Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Schofield
Grant
G
Kolt
Gregory S
GS
Scragg
Robert
R
Garrett
Nick
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods*; D016138:Walking