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Title: Patterns of change in daily step counts, where does the change happen?

Author
item BARREIRA, TIAGO - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item TUDOR-LOCKE, CATRINE - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item CHAMPAGNE, CATHERIN - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item BROYLES, STEPHANIE - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item HARSHA, DAVID - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item KENNEDY, BETTY - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item JOHNSON, WILLIAM - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item ALLEN, RAY - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item KATZMARZYK, PETER - Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2011
Publication Date: 5/1/2011
Citation: Barreira, T.V., Tudor-Locke, C., Champagne, C.M., Broyles, S.T., Harsha, D., Kennedy, B.M., Johnson, W.D., Allen, R., Katzmarzyk, P.T. 2011. Patterns of change in daily step counts, where does the change happen [abstract]? Second International Conference on Ambulatory Monitoring of Physical Activity and Movement, May 24-27, 2011, Glasgow, Scotland.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the change in the average daily steps taken at different cadence (steps/min) levels when a change in total steps/day occurs. A total of 43 people participated in a one-week intervention with the goal to increase time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Participants wore a GT3X accelerometer for 7 consecutive days before and after the one-week intervention. There was a wide range of changes in steps/day, ranging from decreases of 3,900 steps/day to increases of 2,835 steps/day. Participants who either decreased (DEC) or increased (INC) their steps/day by 1,500 steps or more were used in this analysis. The average number of steps taken at different cadences (1-19, 20-39, 40-59, 60-79, 80-99, 100-119, and 120+ steps/min) was calculated for pre- and post-intervention data. Paired sample t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-results for both groups. Our results showed that DEC participants (n = 7) took on average 7,259 +/- 1,453 steps/day pre-intervention and 5,283 +/- 898 steps/day post-intervention. INC (n = 7) participants took on average 6,088 +/- 2,902 and 8,069 +/- 2,963 steps/day pre- and post-intervention, respectively. Significant differences (p<.05) were found for the 1-19, 20-39, and 40-59 cadence levels for the DEC group and in the 40-49, 60-79, and 80-99 cadence levels in the INC group. In this preliminary investigation in a sample of overweight/obese participants, the change in steps/day among participants who decreased their total steps/day occurred in the non-purposeful movement cadence levels (i.e., < 60 steps/min) while the changes in those who increased their overall steps/day occurred in the purposeful (i.e., walking) cadence levels. These results provide insights into appropriate cadence targets to increase overall physical activity levels for future interventions.