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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Substantiating Appropriate Motion Capture Techniques for the Assessment of Nordic Walking Gait and Posture in Older Adults
09:37

Substantiating Appropriate Motion Capture Techniques for the Assessment of Nordic Walking Gait and Posture in Older Adults

Published on: May 12, 2016

Assessing pedometer accuracy while walking, skipping, galloping, sliding, and hopping.

John Damien Smith1, Cynthia Ann Schroeder

  • 1Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois, USA. jsmitaa@siue.edu

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
|February 26, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Pedometers accurately track walking and hopping but show significant errors for skipping, galloping, and sliding. Researchers recommend caution when using pedometers for non-walking physical activities.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Kinesiology
  • Exercise Physiology

Background:

  • Pedometers are commonly used to estimate physical activity levels.
  • Previous research has primarily validated pedometer accuracy during walking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the accuracy of a specific pedometer model (Walk4Life LS-7010) across various locomotor movements.
  • To compare pedometer step counts with direct hand counts for walking, skipping, galloping, sliding, and hopping.

Main Methods:

  • 102 college students wore pedometers on both hips.
  • Participants performed five different locomotor movements at a brisk pace over 26 meters.
  • Steps were simultaneously recorded by the pedometer and a researcher's hand counter.

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Last Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Substantiating Appropriate Motion Capture Techniques for the Assessment of Nordic Walking Gait and Posture in Older Adults
09:37

Substantiating Appropriate Motion Capture Techniques for the Assessment of Nordic Walking Gait and Posture in Older Adults

Published on: May 12, 2016

Simulation of Human-induced Vibrations Based on the Characterized In-field Pedestrian Behavior
10:52

Simulation of Human-induced Vibrations Based on the Characterized In-field Pedestrian Behavior

Published on: April 13, 2016

The Ladder Rung Walking Task: A Scoring System and its Practical Application.
09:38

The Ladder Rung Walking Task: A Scoring System and its Practical Application.

Published on: June 12, 2009

Main Results:

  • Significant differences (P < .01) were found between pedometer and hand counts for all five movements.
  • The lowest mean error was observed during walking (-1.35 +/- 1.60) and hopping (-2.94 +/- 2.33).
  • Higher mean errors occurred during sliding (-6.42 +/- 4.78), galloping (-8.22 +/- 4.63), and skipping (-8.30 +/- 4.45).

Conclusions:

  • The pedometer may fail to accurately register steps during movements involving complex foot contacts like skipping, galloping, and sliding.
  • While pedometers are valid for estimating general physical activity, their accuracy is movement-dependent.
  • Exercise professionals and researchers should exercise caution when interpreting pedometer data for activities other than walking.