Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Step count recommendations for children based on body fat.

J Scott Duncan1, Grant Schofield, Elizabeth K Duncan

  • 1Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Division of Sport and Recreation, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1020, New Zealand. scott.duncan@aut.ac.nz

Preventive Medicine
|October 3, 2006
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

System-Level Redesign of an Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Program Associated with High 1-Year Survival and Reduced Cost.

Transplantation and cellular therapy·2026
Same author

Pretreatment physical function as a risk factor for movement and neurocognitive treatment-emergent events (MNTs) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients treated with cilta-cel.

Journal of the neurological sciences·2026
Same author

Carbohydrate Reduction and a Holistic Model of Care in Diabetes Management: Insights from a Retrospective Multi-Year Audit in New Zealand.

Nutrients·2025
Same author

Artificial intelligence applications for assessing ultra-processed food consumption: a scoping review.

The British journal of nutrition·2025
Same author

ICANS and mortality after CAR-T therapy for NHL patients can be predicted using physical function measures of falls, balance and strength deficits, and use of an assistive device.

Bone marrow transplantation·2025
Same author

Shifting organizational sentiment: Qualitative insights from a mental ill-health prevention program for New Zealand firefighters.

Comprehensive psychiatry·2025

New step count targets for children, using percentage body fat, suggest 16,000 steps for boys and 13,000 steps for girls daily to reduce excess body fat risk.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric physical activity research
  • Childhood obesity prevention
  • Exercise physiology

Background:

  • Current physical activity guidelines for children are based on body mass index (BMI) and weekday step counts.
  • Existing recommendations are 15,000 steps/day for boys and 12,000 steps/day for girls.
  • Percentage body fat (%BF) is a more accurate indicator of adiposity than BMI.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish new pedometer-determined physical activity targets for children.
  • To utilize both weekday and weekend step counts.
  • To use %BF as the criterion reference for developing these targets.

Main Methods:

  • Measured %BF in 969 children (aged 5-12 years) using bioelectrical impedance analysis.
  • Collected weekday and weekend step counts using pedometers over 5 days.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Employed the contrasting groups method to determine optimal step count cut-offs for predicting overweight and non-overweight status.

    • Main Results:

    • Overweight children exhibited significantly lower mean step counts compared to non-overweight children.
    • Optimal step count cut-off points were determined to be 16,000 steps/day for boys and 13,000 steps/day for girls.
    • These new targets are 1,000 steps/day higher than previous BMI-referenced guidelines.

    Conclusions:

    • Revised step count targets are proposed for children to mitigate the risk of excess body fat.
    • The findings support the use of %BF as a criterion reference for physical activity guidelines.
    • Higher daily step counts may be necessary for effective weight management in children.