Does the Usage of a Pedometer and a Diary Improve Physical Activity during the Snowy Season?

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate whether self-monitoring using a pedometer and a diary improves physical activity (PA) during the snowy season. This study examined 191 women aged 40-77 years, residing in a snowy area (Hokkaido, Japan). Each participant was asked to record their daily steps, as measured using a pedometer, in a diary for 10 months. Height, body weight, and PA were assessed　using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Data were first collected in May 2008 (baseline), then October 2008 (2nd investigation), and in February 2009 (3rd investigation). Of the participants, 94 did all tests, 73 were the focus of the analyses, and 21 had no data or abnormal data. Participants were divided into two groups according to their records of daily step counts in the diaries during the snowy season between the second and third investigations. These groups were good record-keepers (GR n=29; they continued to record more than 3 days/week during the investigation period) and poor record-keepers (PR n=44; they did not continue to record to the end of the investigation period). Results from two-way repeated measures ANOVA (groups × investigation times) showed no significant interaction in body weight and physical activity parameters. These results suggest that self-monitoring of PA using a pedometer and a diary does not improve PA or reduce body weight during the snowy season. The reasons might be that participants in our study were healthy and active, and that we did not set a PA goal.