Comparison of pedometer and accelerometer measures of physical activity in preschool children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Exercise Science
• Physical Activity Measurement
• Childhood Health Behaviors

Background:

• Assessing physical activity in young children is crucial for understanding health.
• Pedometers offer a potentially accessible method for tracking activity in preschoolers.
• Previous research has explored step counts as a proxy for physical activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity of daily step counts using pedometers in preschool-aged children.
• To determine the correlation between pedometer-detected step counts and accelerometer-measured moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

Main Methods:

• 129 four- and five-year-old children participated over 4 days.
• Daily step counts were measured using Yamax Digiwalker pedometers.
• A subsample (n=76) also wore accelerometers to measure minutes of MVPA concurrently.

Main Results:

• The average daily step count was 9,980 (±2,605).
• A strong positive correlation (r=0.73, p<0.001) was found between daily step counts and MVPA minutes.
• Only 8% of children achieved the step count equivalent to 1 hour of MVPA (13,874 steps).

Conclusions:

• Daily step counts provide valid insights into physical activity levels in preschool children.
• Preschoolers generally exhibit low daily step counts, indicating potential under-engagement in physical activity.
• Pedometers can be a useful tool for monitoring physical activity in this age group.