Motivational impact of pedometers on self-report of physical activity and stage of change

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using pedometers as a motivational tool to increase physical activity as measured by time and movement forward in stages of change. Sixty-seven men and women from American University completed baseline and re-test measures of time spent in physical activity and stage of change. The study took place over the course of six weeks, and participants were placed in one of two groups: pedometer or comparison group. The results of this study were mixed. Pedometer participants did not significantly increase their time spent in physical activity or move forward in stage of change; however, members of the pedometer group did significantly increase time spent walking (p = 0.030). It was concluded that the use of a pedometer may help motivate people to increase walking in the short-term. Findings by other researchers suggest that if continued over a long period of time, walking may help reduce some health risks.