title: Step counts of non-white minority children and youth by gender, grade level, race/ethnicity, and mode of school transportation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purposes of this study were to describe and analyze the steps/d of nonwhite minority children and youth by gender, grade level, race/ethnicity, and mode of school transportation. A secondary purpose was to compare the steps/d of minority children and youth to their Caucasian grade-level counterparts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 547 minority youth grades 5 to 8 from 4 urban schools. Participants wore sealed pedometers for 6 consecutive week/school days. Three hundred and ten participants responded to a questionnaire concerning their mode of transportation to and from school.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical analyses indicated a main effect for gender (F(3, 546) = 13.50, P < .001) with no interaction. Boys (12,589 ± 3921) accumulated significantly more steps/d than girls (9,539 ± 3,135). Further analyses also revealed a significant main effect for mode of school transportation (F(2, 309) = 15.97, P ≤ .001). Walkers (12,614 ± 4169) obtained significantly more steps/d than car (10,021 ± 2856) or bus (10,230 ± 3666) transit users.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minority boys obtain similar steps/d as their Caucasian grade-level counterparts; minority girls obtain less steps/d than their Caucasian grade-level counterparts. Minority youth who actively commute are more likely to meet PA recommendations than nonactive commuters.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Kinesiology, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA.
authors.forename: Tyler G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Brusseau
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Darst
authors.forename: Pamela H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Kulinna
authors.forename: Janel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: White-Taylor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D016552:Ergometry; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016138:Walking