Article

There are a variety of devices currently available to measure physical
activity. Activity monitors are technologically advanced and provide complex
data, leading to higher costs. Pedometers are simple, inexpensive devices that
provide easy-to-view data. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability
of pedometer step counting during slow walking speeds, typical of patients with
chronic respiratory disease. METHODS: The reproducibility of 8 pedometers was
initially determined at slow walking speeds in a healthy individual. Thereafter,
pedometer step counting was compared with an activity monitor and visual step
counts in 9 healthy subjects and 48 patients with chronic respiratory disease.
RESULTS: Pedometers were reproducible on the same wearer, on consecutive
occasions, although they were not interchangeable. During healthy subject
walking, there were no significant differences between the pedometer and activity
monitor at all speeds. However, both significantly undercounted steps at slower
walking speeds (P < .01). At slow and medium walking speeds with patients with
chronic respiratory disease, both the pedometer and activity monitor
significantly undercounted steps (P < .001 for both pedometer and activity
monitor at slow and P < .003 for pedometer and P < .004 for activity monitor at
medium speeds) compared with visual counts. CONCLUSIONS: Pedometers are an
inexpensive and simple alternative to activity monitors and appear to be reliable
during faster walking in both healthy subjects and patients with chronic
respiratory disease. However, caution should be applied during slow walking
speeds because of undercounting steps, causing misleading data that could become
demotivating when used as a training adjunct.

Langue : ANGLAIS

Tiré à part : OUI