Thomas Jefferson is credited with inventing the first pedometer more than 200 years ago. Since that time, pedometer accuracy has improved substantially due to increased technological and manufacturing sophistication. While the choice of pedometer will depend on your walking goals and your budget, the accuracy of each type can vary considerably according to their mode of function as well as practical factors to do with how you use them everyday.
Types
Purchasing a pedometer boils down to two basic choices, mechanical or accelerometer. The former are basic step counters that have to be attached securely to your waist and depend for accuracy on a spring-loaded lever. The latter uses a computerized strain gauge that translates body movements to step counts. In the journal "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise," Scott E. Crouter, a researcher at Cornell University, found that accelerometers were more accurate than mechanical models.
Function
Counting steps is the pedometer's basic function, and according to Consumer Search, most models do this very accurately. Pedometers may include other functions such as a timer and can also calculate distance, calorie expenditure and heart rate as long as you are able to enter additional information into the pedometer such as stride length, weight and metabolic rate. According to JSC Engineering, these additional features decrease the accuracy of the device.
Considerations
Maximize the accuracy of your mechanical pedometer by attaching it to your belt or waistband at the side of your hip and making sure it is able to stay vertical during walking. Your accelerometer can also be attached to your hip, and because it senses movement in any direction, will still be accurate even if tilted.
Warning
Walking at slow speeds will reduce the accuracy of both mechanical pedometers and accelerometers. When this is accompanied by a shuffling gait, the true step count can be underestimated by as much as 74 percent, according to Elizabeth Cyarto, a researcher at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, writing in the journal "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise."
Prevention/Solution
Reset your mechanical pedometer or accelerometer to zero and attach it to your body. Walk 50 steps and check the digital readout of the step count. Accuracy is acceptable if the total is within 10 percent of 50, that is, between 45 and 55 steps. If your reading is outside this limit, reposition your pedometer and try again. Replace the unit if it consistently records outside the acceptable limits.
References
- Pedometer Reviews: History of Pedometers
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Spring-levered Versus Piezo-electric Pedometer accuracy in overweight and obese adults; S.E. Crouter et al.; October 2005
- Consumer Search: Pedometers: Full Report: Pedometer Review
- JSC Engineering: The Anatomy of a Pedometer
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Pedometer accuracy in nursing home and community-dwelling older adults; E.V Cyarto, et al.; February 2004.
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