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Pedometer assessment for pupils in Singapore : validity, reliability and physical activity during school physical education and recess
Author
Wang, Ye
Supervisor
Chia, Michael
Abstract
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to 1) examine the validity and reliability of OMRON HJ005 pedometer in quantifying pupils’ physical activity (PA) under ecological school settings; and to 2) evaluate pupils’ PA levels during school physical education (PE) and recess using pedometer-determined data.
Methods:
125 Primary 2 and 6 children from a neighborhood Primary School of Singapore participated in the study. In the first part of the study, 15 boys and 19 girls were recruited and randomly allocated to a validity or a reliability group, and were instructed to perform slow walking (4 km/h), brisk walking (6 km/h) and slow jogging (8km/h) on a 240m athletic track. In the second part, all subjects (n=125) were randomly assigned to a validity group or a reliability group and PA during 30-min school PE and recess was evaluated.
Results:
Validity of Omron HJ-005 was examined by Pearson correlation between pedometer step counts and GT1M ActiGraph accelerometer readings. Correlation R was 0.850, 0.829 and 0.685, respectively, under 4km/h, 6km/h and 8km/h speed-controlled conditions, 0.819 during PE and 0.703 during recess (all P<0.05). Reliability of the pedometer was examined by computing intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between two units on left and right side of the body. ICC was 0.918, 0.812, and 0.876, respectively, under 4km/h, 6km/h and 8km/h controlled speed, 0.923 under PE and 0.936 under recess (all P<0.05). Pupils achieved average steps of 1660.41±534.88 during a 30-min PE, mostly depending on the contents of the lessons. There was no statistical difference for steps between genders across 4 PE lessons (P>0.05). The average steps achieved during the recess were 1208.14±526.24 and significant gender differences existed between boys and girls (P<0.05). The intensity of PA during recess and PE was captured by accelerometers. PE accounted for more moderate-to- vigorous PA (MVPA) compared to recess (31.31% vs. 17.09%) and boys engaged in more vigorous PA (VPA) than girls during recess (P<0.05). However, age-related differences in total PA and percentage of time spent in different intensity thresholds were not observed during recess (P>0.05).
Conclusion:
OMRON HJ-005 pedometer showed promise as a reliable and valid measurement tool for assessing school-based PA of Singaporean children. Aggregated steps count or stepping rate during PE among pupils in Singapore was within the range of values documented elsewhere while for recess these were lower. Primary school girls were just as physically active as boys during structured PE, but boys were significantly more active during recess. Primary 6 pupils were just as active as Primary 2 during the recess and present study did not support the view that PA declines with age, at least not during the recess. The study provided a greater understanding of local pupil’s school PA patterns and present data suggest that PE and recess offer feasible opportunities for school children to be physically active. The reasons why local pupils are less physically active during recess especially for girls should be examined so as to better understand how PA behaviors can be made more enticing than sedentary behaviors at recess.
The purpose of this study was to 1) examine the validity and reliability of OMRON HJ005 pedometer in quantifying pupils’ physical activity (PA) under ecological school settings; and to 2) evaluate pupils’ PA levels during school physical education (PE) and recess using pedometer-determined data.
Methods:
125 Primary 2 and 6 children from a neighborhood Primary School of Singapore participated in the study. In the first part of the study, 15 boys and 19 girls were recruited and randomly allocated to a validity or a reliability group, and were instructed to perform slow walking (4 km/h), brisk walking (6 km/h) and slow jogging (8km/h) on a 240m athletic track. In the second part, all subjects (n=125) were randomly assigned to a validity group or a reliability group and PA during 30-min school PE and recess was evaluated.
Results:
Validity of Omron HJ-005 was examined by Pearson correlation between pedometer step counts and GT1M ActiGraph accelerometer readings. Correlation R was 0.850, 0.829 and 0.685, respectively, under 4km/h, 6km/h and 8km/h speed-controlled conditions, 0.819 during PE and 0.703 during recess (all P<0.05). Reliability of the pedometer was examined by computing intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between two units on left and right side of the body. ICC was 0.918, 0.812, and 0.876, respectively, under 4km/h, 6km/h and 8km/h controlled speed, 0.923 under PE and 0.936 under recess (all P<0.05). Pupils achieved average steps of 1660.41±534.88 during a 30-min PE, mostly depending on the contents of the lessons. There was no statistical difference for steps between genders across 4 PE lessons (P>0.05). The average steps achieved during the recess were 1208.14±526.24 and significant gender differences existed between boys and girls (P<0.05). The intensity of PA during recess and PE was captured by accelerometers. PE accounted for more moderate-to- vigorous PA (MVPA) compared to recess (31.31% vs. 17.09%) and boys engaged in more vigorous PA (VPA) than girls during recess (P<0.05). However, age-related differences in total PA and percentage of time spent in different intensity thresholds were not observed during recess (P>0.05).
Conclusion:
OMRON HJ-005 pedometer showed promise as a reliable and valid measurement tool for assessing school-based PA of Singaporean children. Aggregated steps count or stepping rate during PE among pupils in Singapore was within the range of values documented elsewhere while for recess these were lower. Primary school girls were just as physically active as boys during structured PE, but boys were significantly more active during recess. Primary 6 pupils were just as active as Primary 2 during the recess and present study did not support the view that PA declines with age, at least not during the recess. The study provided a greater understanding of local pupil’s school PA patterns and present data suggest that PE and recess offer feasible opportunities for school children to be physically active. The reasons why local pupils are less physically active during recess especially for girls should be examined so as to better understand how PA behaviors can be made more enticing than sedentary behaviors at recess.
Date Issued
2007
Call Number
QP301 Wan
Date Submitted
2007