Reliability and validity of the Omron HJ-720 ITC pedometer when worn at four different locations on the body

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the reliability and validity of the Omron HJ-720 ITC pedometer when worn at four different locations on the body. Methods: Subjects wore pedometers at the hip, chest, back, and pocket. Subjects’ stature, body mass, and stride length were entered in to each pedometer prior to walking one mile on a track while wearing a portable metabolic analyzer. Results: Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) revealed that the pedometer produced high and statistically significant inter-device reliability for steps (ICC = 0.95), distance (ICC = 0.93), and kcal expenditure (ICC = 0.87), regardless of placement on the body. Measures of percent agreement and one-way ANOVAs revealed that the pedometer was valid for measures of steps and distance, but there was a statistical difference between actual and pedometer-estimated kcal expenditure (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Although the Omron pedometer produced reliable results regardless of placement on the body, it did not produce valid estimates of kcal expenditure.

Keywords

• pedometer
• steps
• kilocalorie expenditure
• reliability
• validity
• physical activity