Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Four-week pedometer-determined activity patterns in normal weight and overweight UK adults

International Journal of Obesity volume 31, pages 261–266 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To assess pedometer-determined physical activity levels and activity patterns in a sample of free-living normal weight and overweight UK adults.

Design:

Pedometer-based 4-week observational study.

Participants:

One hundred and twenty-two healthy participants, recruited from two regions in the UK, classified as normal weight (33 females and 26 males) or overweight (31 females and 32 males), in the age range of 18 to 65 years, completed the study.

Measurements:

Daily step counts were measured using a Yamax SW-200 pedometer, and were then recorded in an activity log. Comparisons were made between activity patterns occurring over different days of the week for the normal weight and overweight groups. Measurements of height, weight and percentage body fat, by bioelectrical impedance, were taken pre- and post-study.

Results:

A consistent reduction in activity was observed on a Sunday in the overweight group, and mean daily step counts accumulated on Sundays were significantly lower, by an average of 2221 steps/day, when compared with all other days of the week (all P<0.001). In comparison, no day-of-the-week effect was observed in the normal weight group. Mean step counts reported on each day of the week did not differ significantly between the two groups, with the exception of Sunday when the overweight group reported significantly fewer steps than the normal weight participants (8093 versus 10 538, P<0.001).

Conclusions:

Activity levels dropped dramatically in the sample of overweight adults on a Sunday. Simple instructions to at-risk individuals, to increase their general activity levels on a Sunday, via general practitioners and public health messages could prove to be a subtle, but effective, strategy to tackle obesity.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Department of Health. Health Survey for England 2004 – updating of trend tables to include 2004 data: NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2005. Available at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hlthsvyeng2004upd.

  2. Hill JO, Wyatt HR . Role of physical activity in preventing and treating obesity. J Appl Physiol 2005; 99: 765–770.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Harrison RA, McElduff P, Edwards R . Planning to win: health and lifestyles associated with physical activity amongst 15,423 adults. Public Health 2005; 120: 206–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hornbuckle LM, Bassett Jr DR, Thompson DL . Pedometer-determined walking and body composition variables in African-American females. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2005; 37: 1069–1074.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Tudor-Locke C, Burkett L, Reis JP, Ainsworth BE, Macera CA, Wilson DK . How many days of pedometer monitoring predict weekly physical activity in adults? Prev Med 2005; 40: 293–298.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Tudor-Locke C, Bassett DR, Swartz AM, Strath SJ, Parr BB, Reis JP et al. A preliminary study of one year of pedometer self-monitoring. Ann Behav Med 2004; 28: 158–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bassett Jr DR, Cureton AL, Ainsworth BE . Measurement of daily walking distance-questionnaire versus pedometer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000; 32: 1018–1023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Tudor-Locke C, Ham SA, Macera CA, Ainsworth BE, Kirtland KA, Reis JP et al. Descriptive epidemiology of pedometer-determined physical activity. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004; 36: 1567–1573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Thompson DL, Rakow J, Perdue SM . Relationship between accumulated walking and body composition in middle-aged females. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004; 36: 911–914.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Tully MA, Cupples ME, Chan WS, McGlade K, Young IS . Brisk walking, fitness, and cardiovascular risk: a randomized controlled trial in primary care. Prev Med 2005; 41: 622–628.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Department of Health. Health Survey for England 2001. The Stationary Office: London, 2003. Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/PublishedSurvey/HealthSurveyForEngland/HealthSurveyResults/HealthSurveyResultsArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4001338&chk=9b6lOp.

  12. Pietrobelli A, Rubiano F, St-Onge MP, Heymsfield SB . New bioimpedance analysis system: improved phenotyping with whole-body analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004; 58: 1479–1484.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Crouter SE, Schneider PL, Karabulut M, Bassett Jr DR . Validity of 10 electronic pedometers for measuring steps, distance, and energy cost. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003; 35: 1455–1460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Schneider PL, Crouter SE, Lukajic O, Bassett Jr DR . Accuracy and reliability of 10 pedometers for measuring steps over a 400-m walk. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003; 35: 1779–1784.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Le Masurier GC, Tudor-Locke C . Comparison of pedometer and accelerometer accuracy under controlled conditions. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003; 35: 867–871.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Swartz AM, Bassett Jr DR, Moore JB, Thompson DL, Strath SJ . Effects of body mass index on the accuracy of an electronic pedometer. Int J Sports Med 2003; 24: 588–592.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Schneider PL, Crouter SE, Bassett DR . Pedometer measures of free-living physical activity: comparison of 13 models. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004; 36: 331–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Field A . Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. Sage: London, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Sequeira MM, Rickenbach M, Wietlisbach V, Tullen B, Schutz Y . Physical activity assessment using a pedometer and its comparison with a questionnaire in a large population survey. Am J Epidemiol 1995; 142: 989–999.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Chan CB, Ryan DA, Tudor-Locke C . Health benefits of a pedometer-based physical activity intervention in sedentary workers. Prev Med 2004; 39: 1215–1222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Tudor-Locke C, Ainsworth BE, Whitt MC, Thompson RW, Addy CL, Jones DA . The relationship between pedometer-determined ambulatory activity and body composition variables. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001; 25: 1571–1578.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Aittasalo M, Miilunpalo S, Suni J . The effectiveness of physical activity counseling in a work-site setting. A randomized, controlled trial. Patient Educ Counsel 2004; 55: 193–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Hedley AA, Ogden CL, Johnson CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Flegal KM . Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999–2002. JAMA 2004; 291: 2847–2850.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Hill JO, Wyatt HR, Reed GW, Peters JC . Obesity and the environment: where do we go from here? Science 2003; 299: 853–855.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Lyons PM, Truswell AS, Mira M, Vizzard J, Abraham SF . Reduction of food intake in the ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle. Am J Clin Nutr 1989; 49: 1164–1168.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Soares MJ, Piers LS, Kraai L, Shetty PS . Day-to-day variations in basal metabolic rates and energy intakes of human subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 1989; 43: 465–472.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. de Castro JM . Weekly rhythms of spontaneous nutrient intake and meal pattern of humans. Physiol Behav 1991; 50: 729–738.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Jula A, Seppanen R, Alanen E . Influence of days of the week on reported food, macronutrient and alcohol intake among an adult population in south western Finland. Eur J Clin Nutr 1999; 53: 808–812.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Haines PS, Hama MY, Guilkey DK, Popkin BM . Weekend eating in the United States is linked with greater energy, fat, and alcohol intake. Obes Res 2003; 11: 945–949.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. O'Dwyer NA, McCarthy SN, Burke SJ, Gibney MJ . The temporal pattern of the contribution of fat to energy and of food groups to fat at various eating locations: implications for developing food-based dietary guidelines. Public Health Nutr 2005; 8: 249–257.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Rhodes D, Murayi T, Cleveland L, Moshfegh A . The effect of dietary disinhibition on energy intake and eating patterns (abstract). Fed Am Soc Exp Biol J 2005; 19: A1018.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Haslam DW, James WP . Obesity. Lancet 2005; 366: 1197–1209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the help of Carole Clemes for organizing and overseeing participant recruitment in Cornwall.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK

    S A Clemes, P L Griffiths & S L Hamilton

Authors
  1. S A Clemes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P L Griffiths
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S L Hamilton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S A Clemes.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Clemes, S., Griffiths, P. & Hamilton, S. Four-week pedometer-determined activity patterns in normal weight and overweight UK adults. Int J Obes 31, 261–266 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803420

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803420

Keywords

Search

Advanced search

Quick links