title: Step Counts on Weekdays, Weekends, and During Physical Education of Navajo High School Students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding the physical activity patterns of youth is important for the implementation and evaluation of programming and interventions designed to change behavior. To date, little is known about the objectively measured physical activity patterns of Native American youth. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the step counts of Navajo youth during weekdays, weekend days, and physical education classes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 63 high school students (mean age = 15.14 ± 1.37 years). Youth wore a pedometer (Walk-4-Life 2505) for seven consecutive days. Means and standard deviations were calculated for weekdays, weekend days, and physical education.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Boys averaged 11,078 ± 4400 steps/weekday compared to 6493 ± 5651 on weekend days. Girls averaged 7567 ± 5614 on weekdays compared to 7589 ± 7712 on weekend days. Both boys (20 %) and girls (26 %) accumulated a large percentage of their weekday step counts from physical education classes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings highlight the importance of additional physical activity opportunities in the community. Youth are falling well short of recommended levels of physical activity with physical education being an important source of physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Mary Lou Fulton Teacher's College, Arizona State University, 7271 E. Sonoran Arroyo Mall, Mesa, AZ, 85212, USA.
authors.forename: Rachelle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation, College of Health, University of Utah, 250 s 1850 E Rm 205, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA. Tim.brusseau@Utah.edu.
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Brusseau
authors.affiliation: Mary Lou Fulton Teacher's College, Arizona State University, 7271 E. Sonoran Arroyo Mall, Mesa, AZ, 85212, USA.
authors.forename: Pamela H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Kulinna
authors.affiliation: Mary Lou Fulton Teacher's College, Arizona State University, 7271 E. Sonoran Arroyo Mall, Mesa, AZ, 85212, USA.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van der Mars
keywords: American Indian; Community; Health; Physical activity