Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-2004

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Exercise Science

Major Professor

Dixie L. Thompson

Committee Members

Edward T. Howley, David R. Bassett, Jr.

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to compare the number of steps accumulated weekly by individuals given the recommendation to walk 10,000 steps per day with those told to take a brisk 30 minute walk on most, preferably all, days of the week. Average steps per day were compared for 58 sedentary women (mean age 45.0 ± 6.0 y) who were randomly assigned to one of the following physical activity groups, (1) walk 10,000 steps per day or (2) take a brisk 30 minute walk on most, preferably all, days of the week. After measuring height, weight, body composition, blood pressure, and waist and hip circumference, subjects wore a sealed pedometer for two weeks for a baseline physical activity assessment. If the subjects averaged ≤ 7000 steps/day they were randomly assigned to one of two physical activity groups for a four week intervention. All subjects wore a sealed pedometer capable of storing 7 days of data. Subjects reported to the laboratory each week so that investigators could gather step counts. The 10,000 steps per day group wore a second pedometer for viewing steps accumulated throughout the day. There were no differences between the groups at baseline testing. A statistically significant difference between groups was observed with average step accumulation over four weeks. The 30 minute group walked 8270 ± 354 steps per day and the 10K group walked 10,159 ± 292 steps per day. The 30 minute group averaged 9505 ± 326 steps per day on the days that a 30 minute walk occurred and 5597 ± 363 steps per day on the days that no walk occurred. The 10K group averaged 11,775 ± 207 steps on days when they walked at least 10,000 steps and 7780 ± 231 steps on days that their target was not achieved. This study compared the recommendation to engage in 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week with the recommendation to walk 10,000 steps per day. The 10,000 steps per day recommendation led to more weekly walking with less day-to day fluctuation in accumulated steps. The 30 minute group was close to accumulating 10,000 steps per day on the days that they took a 30 minute walk. This study shows that sedentary, middle-aged women accumulate more daily physical activity when given the recommendation to walk 10,000 steps per day compared to the recommendation of taking a brisk 30 minute walk on most, preferably all, days of the week.

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