Pedometers are devices that count how many steps you take. You can keep track of how many you take in a day or a week or on a hike or for any purpose or time period you choose. In an effort to help curtail childhood obesity, schools and health organizations encourage teens and children to use pedometers as a way of measuring and hopefully increasing their physical activity levels.
How Pedometers Work
Pedometers come a variety of models and prices, with some not only counting steps as you walk, but approximate calories burned, too. For your purposes, though, a simple pedometer that clips onto your belt or waistband and just counts steps as you move may be all you need. A mechanism inside the pedometer responds to the movement of your hips, though you may need to experiment with the exact location of the device to make sure it's picking up every step. You'll also need to adjust the pedometer to the length of your stride. A small display screen keeps a running tally of all your steps.
Teen Use
The President's Challenge Program, part of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, encourages boys up to age 18 to walk 13,000 steps per day, with 11,000 steps per day for girls. The daylong step count, which can be easily tracked by a pedometer, is seen as an alternative goal to 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. A fun way to use the pedometer is to guess how many steps you take at school each day or how many steps you'll take shopping at the mall with your friends and then see how your guesses matched up with the actual counts. You can also try to find new ways to boost your step count, like walking to a friend's house instead of driving or taking a walk after dinner each evening.
Pedometers Not Always the Key
While some teens may like the gadget aspect of pedometer use, others don't find the novelty of step-counting all that inspiring. In a 12-year study of kids ages 12 to 18 who had type 1 diabetes, those who were in a group that received motivational text messages and who were given pedometers and encouraged to wear them, were no more physically active at the end of the study than kids who received standard care, such as regular doctor visits and information about living with their disease.
Some Encouraging News
Some studies, however, have found a link between increased physical activity and pedometer use among teens. In an analysis published in the February 2009 issue of "Preventive Medicine," researchers found that out of 14 studies of pedometers and youth, 12 showed that kids who used pedometers were more active than those who didn't use the devices.
References
- PBS.org: America's Walking -- Pedometers
- The President's Challenge: Daily Physical Activity is the Key
- Reuters.com: Teens not Urged to Activity by Pedometers/Texts; Joene Hendry; May 2009
- "Preventive Medicine:" A Systematic Review of Studies Using Pedometers to Promote Physical Activity Among Youth; David Lubans, et al.; February 2009
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