Premiers Coca-Cola Active Lifestyle Scholarship

Pedometer use in PDHPE programs

Patrina Meredith Dapto High School

Sponsored by Introduction The recently published results of the NSW Schools PA and Nutrition Survey (SPANS) have supported previous findings that NSW school students are becoming overweight. The reasons for this are complex and are compounded by environments that support changed nutritional habits and more sedentary physical activity patterns.

Due to the worldwide trends towards physical inactivity and obesity in young people, interest in school based physical activity intervention programs is currently high. Schools provide an effective environment to influence behavioural and attitudinal changes and to establish the foundations for healthy living, including physical activity. Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) plays a key role in promoting regular physical activity and the value of lifelong physical activity in students’ lives. An increasing number of schools has introduced pedometer programs to encourage students to measure, monitor and analyse their daily patterns of planned and incidental physical activity. The purpose of this research project was to investigate how pedometers are being used in schools to support, motivate and encourage students to become more aware of, and increase, their daily physical activity patterns.

Pedometers What are they and what do they do? Pedometers are direct, objective measurement tools that record the amount of physical activity a person accumulates over a period of time. In the past, pedometers were mechanical, cumbersome and not very accurate. The digital pedometers available today are more sophisticated and accurate in their recording of steps taken. Movement is detected through a spring-loaded, counterbalanced mechanism that records up and down motion on a vertical plane with the body. These devices are typically worn at the hip and provide a measure of activity by “counting” the number of times the suspended lever arm moves up and down in response to activity. This information is recorded and displayed as steps are taken. A number of pedometers have extra features other than the basic recording of steps. These more sophisticated devices can estimate the total distance travelled, energy expenditure during a certain time frame and the amount of time spent engaging in physical activity.

Using Pedometers to Measure Physical Activity Advantages Pedometers:  can be worn by virtually all children, young people and adults.  are easy to secure to a belt or waistband  are small, light weight and not intrusive  provide reliable and valid objective measures of physical activity  give immediate feedback  are simple to use, operate and interpret  are relatively inexpensive  promote increased movement  provide a basis for goal setting in relation to physical activity  cater to a range of cultures and languages spoken eg numerical feedback  allow individualised learning and goal setting within personal comfort and fitness limits, and  provide opportunities for success regardless of age, gender or ability.

Limitations Pedometers:  do not measure frequency or intensity of activity  may not be accurate for those with excessive abdominal weight as they may not sit vertically on the body (which is essential for accurate recording)  cannot measure some physical activities eg static movements, non-locomotor activities, upper body exercises, water sports and cycling, and  can be manipulated through shaking to increase recorded data.

While there are some limitations, for those who want an inexpensive and easy to maintain measuring tool, pedometers provide a convenient, versatile and simple method for the collection and assessment of physical activity data. Overall, the pedometer has many advantages as a tool for measuring individual physical activity and for encouraging individuals to think about their physical activity levels.

How many steps are enough? A daily count of 10 000 steps has been recommended for adults, while 12 000 -15 000 has been recommended for young people. These goals, however, may not be achievable by all, especially people who are relatively inactive. A more relevant way of setting activity goals involves establishing a ‘baseline’ activity level. Individuals should monitor steps over a 4-8 day period to calculate a daily average as a ‘baseline’ level eg 4 000 steps. The goal is to then increase the baseline count by 10 per cent each day eg 4400. If this increase can be maintained for a period of time, for example, 2 weeks, then another 10 per cent increase can be contemplated. In this way the goals set are individualised and achievable.

In the school setting the number of steps taken is directly related to the time allocated and the activity completed. The main focus should be on creating an awareness of the number of steps that can be taken in the time frame for a range of activities and on encouraging students to think about how physically active they actually are.

Visits The pedometer programs I investigated included: 1. Honolulu, Hawaii - “Get Healthy Now” This program was a school-based program that used pedometers to promote physical activity among elementary school students and their families. Six thousand school children were provided with pedometers in order to track their daily steps and work towards individual and group goals. Teachers were provided with lesson plans that involved a range of pedometer activities and families were encouraged to be involved through completing at least two fitness activities together at home per week.

2. Mesa, Arizona - “Active and Healthy Schools” Schools in the United States are required to implement ‘Wellness Policies” that address student nutrition and physical activity by September 2007. Dr Robert Pangrazi, a world-renowned PE professor and expert in the field of pedometers, has written, and been instrumental in the introduction of, the “Active and Healthy Schools” program. This program involves the development of a whole school approach that encourages active lifestyles, healthy eating habits and safe sun exposure behaviours. The program involves modifying the school environment to encourage more physical activity and pedometers are used by students and staff to measure and record physical activity levels during Physical Education lessons, classroom activity breaks and during before and after school programs.

3. Edmonton, Alberta - “Daily Physical Activity” (DPA) In 2006 all Alberta schools teaching Grades 1-9 were required to implement the “Daily Physical Activity” initiative, which involves 30 minutes of mandatory physical activity for each student each day. A number of programs developed to support DPA involve the use of pedometers. One activity, “Trek across Alberta”, is a walking pedometer program that involves students logging their daily steps for a virtual walk across the state, and country. Along the way they learn about the history, geography and culture of the landmarks and places visited.

“Ever Active Schools” Another Alberta program is the “Ever Active Schools” initiative, a whole school initiative that encourages the development of healthy, active school communities. The goal is to encourage, identify and recognise schools that value and promote positive healthy behaviours and practices. A number of associated programs involve the use of pedometers. One such initiative, “Live Outside The Box” is a campaign, which targets 10-14 year olds and encourages them to increase their daily walking and reduce screen time.

4. Denver, Colorado - “Colorado on the Move” This program is an affiliate of “America on the Move” and both programs aim to prevent obesity and improve health by increasing lifestyle physical activity through the use of pedometers. The goal is to have individuals increase their steps by 2 000 a day and to decrease their food consumption by 100 calories a day. “Middle Schools on the Move” is a school based program run over a ten week period that involves students wearing pedometers during and after school. Once students calculate their average steps over the first week they set targets for increasing their daily step count by 2000 for the rest of the program.

Focus of the study tour The three research questions that formed the basis of the study tour were: 1. How does the use of pedometers in PDHPE benefit students, staff and the wider school community? 2. What strategies are required for the effective implementation and sustainability of pedometer programs in PDHPE? 3. What types of pedometer initiatives have been most effective, relevant and interesting for staff and students?

Research Findings Having visited, and interviewed experts, teachers, consultants, students and other interested individuals involved in these pedometer programs the following information has been collated and should be useful to schools contemplating the introduction of pedometers into their curriculum.

1) Benefits for students, staff and the wider school community Through the use of pedometers students are able to:  monitor their daily physical activity patterns in a quick and reliable way.  gain an understanding of the importance of regular physical activity.  develop an increased awareness of their daily physical activity patterns  identify ways of becoming more active, more often in their daily routines  set realistic and challenging goals  analyse pedometer feedback for ongoing and future use, and  experience success while being physically active no matter how skilled they are.

Through the use of pedometers teachers are able to:  offer students a way of monitoring, and becoming more responsible for, their daily physical activity patterns  improve student knowledge and improve attitudes and beliefs towards regular physical activity  monitor how active students are in PE lessons to evaluate the effectiveness of their lessons  deliver a range of novel, active and challenging activities that create awareness of physical activity levels  identify inactive students and implement strategies to improve their physical activity levels  justify to parents, and the community, the value of PDHPE programs in developing and improving physical activity patterns  provide opportunities for a cross curricula focus eg Mathematics, HSIE, and  make changes to existing curricula to provide opportunities for maximum participation.

The benefits for the wider school community include:  Interest is created for parents and the community through pedometer programs being run in schools  Pedometer information and activity nights generate support, positive publicity and awareness of school programs  A whole school ‘active lifestyles’ ethos sets the scene for family and community involvement  Parents and community members can purchase or borrow pedometers for their own use from the school  Holistic benefits are gained from a PDHPE program that assesses and encourages regular physical activity  Quality pedometer programs can gain support from the community in a number of ways and establish good public relations.

2) Strategies for the effective implementation and sustainability of pedometer programs in PDHPE

Implementing pedometers When purchasing pedometers there are a number of issues to be considered:

The number of pedometers needed A class set is recommended as a good starting point. Each student should have his or her own pedometer for each lesson. One class set of pedometers can be rotated and used by a number of classes throughout the day or week.

The best pedometers to purchase There are a wide variety of pedometers, ranging from the very basic, which only count steps, to more advanced models that have a multitude of functions. For PDHPE lessons the simple models are adequate to allow students to track and set goals for steps. The duo function pedometers, which include activity time as well as steps, are also valuable for teachers in assessing the amount of activity completed in PE lessons. For senior and elective PDHPE classes the more sophisticated models may be more useful in order to establish links to nutrition and physical activity modules eg intensity and energy expended. The quality of pedometers varies depending on the manufacturer and cost. Schools should purchase the highest quality pedometers they can with the funds available. It is essential that the pedometers purchased are valid and reliable in relation to the measuring of steps. If possible, it is desirable to test run an individual pedometer prior to purchasing a class set. The two types of pedometers used most extensively in the programs I witnessed were the Yamax and Walk 4 Life brands. Both these brands of pedometers are recommended as being of the highest quality for validity and reliability.

The price and funding of pedometers The cost for simple function, reputable pedometers in Australia is approximately $25- $30 each. When buying a class set, it is possible to negotiate a reduced price for bulk buying. In many schools, and faculties, budgeting can be a challenge and the ability to find $750 for a class set of pedometers is often limited by other priorities. These are funding opportunities utilised by schools I visited:  Parents and Citizens group funding  Sponsorship from local businesses  Fund raising within the school and community  Students purchasing their own pedometers  Monetary grants offered for new and innovative school programs  Sharing the expense with another school  Borrowing from a consultant, University, TAFE NSW Institute or College  Sponsorship from National or State corporations, for example, Health Insurance Companies.

Sustaining the use of pedometers Developing routines that all students are familiar with seemed to be most effective strategy in minimising the time taken to distribute, record data and collect pedometers each lesson. A few simple procedures allowed effective management of both the pedometers and time in lessons.

When these procedures are being adhered to in a consistent way students could be considered responsible enough to check pedometers out for longer periods of time, for example, for the rest of the day or overnight. This strategy could be incorporated into units of work, such as Healthy Lifestyle, where students check their steps, establish their baseline and set goals for the future. Pedometers can be maintained and checked out by the PDHPE faculty or the school library. Some schools have a barcode system and students, staff or parents can borrow the pedometers from the library.

An information letter outlining the use of pedometers in the school and a policy covering replacement issues is necessary. The policy should cover situations where pedometers may be lost or broken and outline that pedometers must be replaced at a nominated cost. Some pedometers come with a safety strap, which adds to the security of the device, however they are sometimes still damaged, so it is wise to allow for 10 per cent loss when budgeting for the purchase of pedometers. In relation to accuracy and reliability pedometers require minimal maintenance. When purchased they come with a battery which will last for approximately two years. It is a good idea to test pedometers as the two-year time frame approaches. As the battery life declines, pedometers gradually lose their accuracy.

3) Effective, relevant and interesting pedometer initiatives The following activities and initiatives illustrate a number of ways pedometers are being used in the school setting:

Estimate and record – students estimate the number of steps they will take in a range of PE lessons. They record actual steps taken and can chart and compare which activities involve more physical activity. Log Book – keeping a logbook of estimated steps, actual steps taken, goals set and achieved can be useful to monitor ongoing progress. Virtual walks - where students log their steps taken and advance across a geographical location investigating significant historical and cultural sites along the way, eg around the world. Orienteering – Including pedometers into orienteering lessons helps students to estimate various distances and the number of steps required. Small Team Games – scorekeeping is altered to involve the collective amount of team steps taken. The team that accumulates the most steps either wins the game or gains a number of bonus points. Passive activities – using pedometers to encourage players, in less active player positions, to keep their activity up, for example, outfielders in softball or cricket. Extra curricular activities – offering before school, recess, lunch or after school pedometer activities, for example walking groups along designated tracks within school grounds. Walking Wednesdays – one day a week is designated as a ‘walking’ day, where students and staff accumulate as many steps as possible in a range of different ways. Examples can include making school corridors ‘one way’ or not using remote controls. Challenge students to invent novel ways of being more active and report in the school newsletter. Fund raising – students use pedometers to accumulate steps towards a group target and collect sponsorship, for example to raise money for sports equipment set target to walk around Australia. Whole school challenges – challenges are set between different year groups, or staff and students, to achieve the highest number of steps. Champions are determined based on collective steps taken over a period of time. Fitness activities – the use of pedometers in combination with other novel fitness activities, for example tabloids, cup stacking, relays, skipping and fitness circuits. PE non-participation – when students cannot fully participate, it may be possible for them to be physically active by walking during the lesson using a pedometer to record steps or activity time. Pedometer information and activity nights – to create interest among families and community members and inform them of pedometer opportunities available at the school. Energy Balance awareness – calculate kilojoules consumed and determine number of steps required to create healthy energy balance. Activity time – duo function pedometers include activity time as well as steps and allow monitoring of time spent being active in lessons. Useful for program planning for maximum activity.

Recommendations 1. Introduce pedometers into NSW primary and secondary schools to allow all students and staff to monitor their physical activity levels and develop an awareness of the benefits of regular moderate physical activity. 2. Initiate a state-wide program where schools and students accumulate steps to achieve goals and rewards for increasing their physical activity levels. This program could be called the “Premier’s Physical Activity Challenge”. 3. Encourage school staff at all levels to wear pedometers to role model regular physical activity. 4. Make lifestyle physical activity the focus of quality PDHPE programs rather than fitness. Aim to make physical activity fun through the use of simple and novel approaches that can include pedometers. 5. Aim to encourage a variety of whole school physical activity opportunities, environments and processes. Maximum opportunities for students to be active should be provided in all lessons and breaks. 6. Establish, walking tracks, where possible, within school grounds for staff and students to use in free time. Pedometer walking groups can be encouraged. 7. Aim to create awareness and promote family and community involvement in school pedometer initiatives. 8. Promote whole school pedometer initiatives that create cross-curricula links to Mathematics, Science and HSIE faculties.

Conclusion Being active every day is important for a healthy body and mind and it is important to convey this concept to all students from an early age. All physical activity accumulated throughout the day has health benefits and encouraging students to increase their daily steps, irrespective of intensity, is valuable. Pedometers provide a great incentive to help make regular physical activity part of young people’s lives. All students can accomplish steps and consequently experience success while being physical activity. By introducing motivational tools, such as pedometers, schools can encourage students to measure, monitor and analyse daily patterns of planned and incidental physical activity in order to set realistic, individual goals. Their value also lies in their use as a teaching tool that can be applied in many different programs of the existing curriculum.

“Australia’s Physical Activity Recommendations for Children and Young People” suggest a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity everyday. If these guidelines are to be met it is important for all people, involved in promoting physical activity, to take the steps necessary to encourage increased participation in regular lifestyle physical activity. Schools have a captive audience of young people and are ideally placed to provide opportunities for students to acquire the skills, understanding and confidence to pursue regular activity and move towards being physically active adults. Pedometers provide an excellent starting point in helping young people increase their activity and gradually move towards achieving this 60- minute target.

A school with an environment and ethos that support increased physical activity can make a significant impact on young peoples’ attitudes and daily physical activity levels. Parents and communities will appreciate school programs that help their children develop and maintain regular physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. The physical activity experiences a young person has at school are instrumental in fostering their activity habits for life. Pedometers can help young people gain the skills and awareness to lead an active life, now and in the future.

Endnote The following web sites offer information on promoting physical activity and pedometers: Get Healthy Now www.gethealthynow.com Active and Healthy Schools Program www.activeandhealthyschools.com Walk 4 Life - The Pedometer People www.walk4life.com Ever Active Schools Program www.everactive.org Alberta Centre for Active Living www.centre4activeliving.ca Schools Come Alive Program www.schoolscomealive.org Colorado on the Move Program www.coloradoonthemove.org America on the Move Program www.americaonthemove.org