Utility of pedometer step recommendations for predicting overweight in children

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of pedometer-based physical activity recommendations in predicting childhood adiposity. Design: Subjects (n=608) (9.6 years) were from two Midwestern USA communities. Physical activity was assessed by a pedometer. The percentage of subjects meeting physical activity recommendations was determined using published recommendations. Overweight and obesity were determined based on reference values for the body mass index (BMI) developed by the International Obesity Task Force. An elevated waist circumference (WC) was determined based on age- and sex-specific reference values >75th percentile. Results: Children who did not meet the pedometer recommendations were about two times more likely to be overweight/obese and have an elevated WC compared with those meeting recommendations. The BMI and WC were significantly different across pedometer step count groups in males and females. Conclusion: Subjects not meeting the recommendations for steps per day were more likely to be classified with the overweight phenotype than those meeting the recommendation. A dose-response relationship between pedometer steps per day and adiposity is also apparent.