Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
06:51
Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
How many steps/day are enough? for children and adolescents.
Catrine Tudor-Locke1, Cora L Craig, Michael W Beets
1Walking Behavior Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Tudor-Locke@pbrc.edu
Summary
Public health guidelines for children and adolescents are translated into daily steps. Boys average 12,000-16,000 steps, girls 10,000-13,000, decreasing with age.
Area of Science:
- Pedometry and Accelerometry in Youth Physical Activity Research
- Public Health Guidelines Translation for Children and Adolescents
- Objective Measurement of Physical Activity Volume
Background:
- Current physical activity guidelines for children and adolescents focus on frequency, time, and intensity.
- Accelerometers and pedometers provide objective measures of daily ambulatory physical activity volume.
- Translating existing guidelines into step-based metrics is crucial for practical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize existing literature on objectively monitored, step-defined physical activity in children and adolescents.
- To provide evidence-based step translations of public health physical activity guidelines.
- To inform researchers, practitioners, and the public on expected daily step counts for youth.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of studies using accelerometers and pedometers to measure physical activity in children and adolescents.
- Analysis of normative data (expected values) for steps per day across different age groups and genders.
- Examination of controlled studies on cadence to link moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with step counts.
Main Results:
- Normative data suggest boys (6-11 years) average 12,000-16,000 steps/day, girls 10,000-13,000 steps/day.
- Adolescents show a decrease in daily steps, reaching 8,000-9,000 steps/day by age 18.
- Sixty minutes of MVPA may correspond to 10,000-15,000 steps/day depending on age and gender.
Conclusions:
- Translating physical activity guidelines into steps/day provides a practical metric for youth.
- Achieving guideline-recommended MVPA may require higher daily step counts than currently observed in some adolescent populations.
- Further research is needed to refine step-defined physical activity recommendations and understand dose-response relationships for health outcomes in young people.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Exercise and Cardiac Output
Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining cardiovascular health, with aerobic exercises being particularly effective. According to the American Heart Association, 150 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic exercise per week is recommended for a healthy heart. Aerobic activities may include brisk walking, running, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and swimming, ideally performed three to five times per week.
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be met...
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be met...
01:29Drug Dosing: Infants and Children
Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
01:26Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion
In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
01:24Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses a challenge in...
01:16Insulin: Dosing Regimen and Adverse Effects
Insulin-replacement therapy usually includes both long-acting insulin (basal) and short-acting insulin (to cater to postprandial needs). In a diverse group of type 1 diabetes patients, the average daily insulin dose is typically 0.5-0.7 units/kg body weight. However, obese patients and pubertal adolescents may need more due to insulin resistance.
The basal dose constitutes about 40%-50% of the total daily dose, with the rest as premeal insulin. The mealtime insulin dose should mirror...
The basal dose constitutes about 40%-50% of the total daily dose, with the rest as premeal insulin. The mealtime insulin dose should mirror...
01:24Dosage Regimen: Individualization
Individualization in dosing regimens is the customization of medication doses for individual patients. Its necessity arises from the goal of maximizing therapeutic benefits while minimizing risks. This approach is pivotal because human responses to drugs can vary widely; what is effective for one person may be inadequate or excessive for another. Interpatient (intersubject) variability refers to differences in drug responses between individuals, while intrapatient (intrasubject) variability...