ePrints

The Use of Pedometers in Stroke Survivors: Are They Feasible and How Well Do They Defect Steps?

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Falko Sniehotta, Professor Marie Johnston

Downloads

Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.

Abstract

Carroll SL, Greig CA, Lewis SJ, McMurdo ME, Sniehotta FF, Johnston M, Johnston DW, Scopes J. Mead GE. The use of pedometers in stroke survivors: are they feasible and how well do they detect steps? Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2012;93:466-70. Objectives: To determine (1) the feasibility of pedometers for stroke patients and (2) the level of agreement between pedometers and actual step count. Design: Observational agreement study. Setting: Six stroke units. Participants: Independently mobile stroke patients (N=50) ready for hospital discharge. Interventions: Patients were asked to apply 3 pedometers: 1 around the neck and 1 above each hip. Patients performed a short walk lasting 20 seconds, then a 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Video recordings determined the criterion standard step count. Main Outcome Measure: Agreement between the step count recorded by pedometers and the step count recorded by viewing the criterion standard video recordings of the 2 walks. Results: Five patients (10%) needed assistance to put on the pedometers, and 5 (10%) could not read the step count. Thirtynine (78%) would use pedometers again. Below a gait speed of about 0.5m/s, pedometers did not generally detect steps. Agreement analyses showed that even above 0.5m/s, pedometers undercounted steps for both the short walk and 6MWT; for example, the mean difference between the video recorder and pedometer around the neck was 5.93 steps during the short walk and 32.4 steps during the 6MWT. Conclusions: Pedometers are feasible but generally do not detect steps at gait speeds below about 0.5m/s, and they undercount steps at gait speeds above 0.5m/s.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Carroll SL, Greig CA, Lewis SJ, McMurdo ME, Sniehotta FF, Johnston M, Johnston DW, Scopes J, Mead GE

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Year: 2012

Volume: 93

Issue: 3

Pages: 466-470

Print publication date: 25/02/2012

ISSN (print): 0003-9993

ISSN (electronic): 1532-821X

Publisher: W.B. Saunders Co.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2011.08.047

DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2011.08.047

Altmetrics

Funding

Share