ARS | Publication request: Step-based translation of physical activity guidelines in the Lower Mississippi Delta

Submitted to: Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: April 17, 2011
Publication Date: August 19, 2011
Citation: Harrington, D., Tudor-Locke, C., Champagne, C., Broyles, S.T., Harsha, D., Kennedy, B.M., Johnson, W.D., Allen, R., Katzmarzyk, P.T. 2011. Step-based translation of physical activity guidelines in the Lower Mississippi Delta. Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism. 36:583-585.

Interpretive Summary: There is an urgent need to identify new strategies that will increase adherence to current physical activity guidelines of at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day in the Lower Mississippi Delta region. The purpose of this study was to determine how many steps/day equate to standard moderate-to-vigorous physical activity recommendations in a population of the Lower Mississippi Delta using both accelerometer and pedometer steps. The results indicate that the residents of the Lower Mississippi Delta should be accumulating a minimum of 9000 steps/day to meet the recommendation of 30 minutes/day MVPA. This information is important for setting personal goals for participants when designing community-based interventions in the Lower Mississippi Delta.

Technical Abstract: To determine how many steps/day equate to current moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) guidelines in a population from the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) of the United States, 58 overweight adults wore an Actigraph accelerometer (GT3X) for up to two weeks. Minutes/day in MVPA was a good predictor of steps/day (r2=0.62; p<.001; linear regression) such that 30 minutes of daily MVPA equated to 9154 steps/day (mixed model approach). Using receiver operating characteristic analysis, sensitivity and specificity were optimized at 8357 steps/day. Results indicate that overweight residents of the LMD should be accumulating at least 8300-9100 steps/day to meet the recommendation of 30 minutes/day MVPA.