Impact of pedometer use and self-regulation strategies on junior high school physical education students daily step counts

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of pedometer use and self-regulation strategies on adolescents' daily physical activity.

Methods: Junior high school students (n=113) enrolled in seventh- and eighth-grade physical education classes (52 girls, 61 boys) volunteered to participate in a 5-week study to assess daily step counts. Ten physical education classes were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (a) self-regulation, (b) open, and (c) control.

Results: A repeated-measures, mixed-model analysis of variance revealed a significant 3x4 (Group by Time) interaction effect, F6,290=2.64, P<.02. Follow-up analyses indicated participants in the self-regulation group took 2071 to 4141 more steps/d than the control. No other significant differences emerged among groups on step counts.

Conclusions: It appears that having access to and charting daily step counts (ie, self-regulatory strategies) positively influenced young adolescents to attain a higher number of steps/d.