Steps Measured by Pedometry and the Relationship to Adiposity in College Women

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between steps per day and adiposity among college women. Methods: This study was cross-sectional and included women ages 18-25. Participants wore a pedometer for 7 consecutive days. Body composition was assessed using air-displacement plethysmography. Height, weight, and waist and hip circumferences were assessed. Results: The women took 10,119 +/- 2836 steps per day. When divided into quartiles by steps, the top 2 quartiles of women in the study had significantly lower BMI, percent body fat, and waist and hip circumferences than the bottom quartile of women (P <= .05). Percent body fat was different between the bottom 2 quartiles and the top 2 quartiles (P <= .05). The odds of having a body fat of greater than 32% were reduced by 21.9% for every increase of 1,000 steps taken per day (P <= .05). Conclusions: Steps per day are related to body composition in young adult women, but this relationship weakens with progressively higher step counts. A reasonable recommendation for steps in young adult women that is associated with the lowest BMIs and body fat seems to be between 10,000-12,000 steps per day.