Four-week pedometer-determined activity patterns in normal weight and overweight UK adults

Objective: To assess pedometer-determined physical activity levels and activity patterns in a sample of free-living normal weight and overweight UK adults. Design: Pedometer-based 4-week observational study. Participants: One hundred and twenty-two healthy participants, recruited from two regions in the UK, classified as normal weight (33 females and 26 males) or overweight (31 females and 32 males), in the age range of 18 to 65 years, completed the study. Measurements: Daily step counts were measured using a Yamax SW-200 pedometer, and were then recorded in an activity log. Comparisons were made between activity patterns occurring over different days of the week for the normal weight and overweight groups. Measurements of height, weight and percentage body fat, by bioelectrical impedance, were taken pre- and post-study. Results: A consistent reduction in activity was observed on a Sunday in the overweight group, and mean daily step counts accumulated on Sundays were significantly lower, by an average of 2221 steps/day, when compared with all other days of the week (all P