Document Type
Article
Abstract
Background: The Gopher FITStep Pro (GFSP) is a commercially available objective physical activity monitor that records steps taken and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the GFSP for measuring steps taken in a guided walking condition and MVPA during planned fitness activities.
Method: University-aged participants (N = 35, Mage = 20) wore two GFSP (right and left side) pedometers and one ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer during both conditions.
Results: Paired samples t-tests determined that self-step counts in the guided walking condition were not significantly different than the right side GFSP (p = .084) but were significantly different from the left side GFSP (p = .006). Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) was less than 3% between self-step counts with the left (1.9%) and right side GFPS (1.7%). However, MVPA estimates were significantly different between the GT3X+ accelerometer and the left side and right side GFSP (p < .001). High MAPE occurred between the GT3X+ accelerometer with the left (51%) and right side GFSP (41%) in the planned fitness activity condition.
Conclusion: The GFSP may be an appropriate instrument for estimating steps, however users should be cautious when consuming MVPA estimates for educational, research, or health-related purposes.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Publication Info
Published in Acta Gymnica, Volume 47, Issue 1, 2017, pages 3-10.
Rights
© 2017 A. Brian and J. A. Haegele. This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
APA Citation
Brian, A., & Haegele, J. A. (2017). Gopher Fitstep Pro Accuracy When Measuring Steps and Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity. Acta Gymnica, 47(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.5507/ag.2017.006