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Pedometer use in university freshmen: a randomized controlled pilot study
James D LeCheminant1, John D Smith, N Kay Covington
1Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA. lecheminant@byu.edu
Objectives:
To describe activity patterns associated with a pedometer intervention in university freshmen and compare the intervention participants to controls for several health outcomes.
Methods:
Forty-six university freshmen were randomized to a group that wore a pedometer across the academic year with a goal of 10,000 steps/day or to a control group.
Results:
Pedometer counts were highest initially but decreased over the academic year. December presented the fewest counts. There was little difference between groups in fitness or body composition.
Conclusions:
Consideration of high-risk months and recommended steps/day may be important to effectively use pedometers to influence some health outcomes in university freshmen.
