Pedometers: Are They Accurate?

Actually yea, if you spend a day doing what you usually do and then increase the amount of steps you measured on that day by say... 1000 or so, then that 1000 will only be counted in addition to what you already walk, so it doesn't really matter.
I think that made no sense; the point is that it's still a useful tool and you can just subtract a few thousand steps or add to them or something.

I've had good pedometers and bad ones. Certain big box stores have carried a line for around 4 dollars, for some time, and when I first started walking for weight loss, I bought those. I found out later that they were highly inaccurate. Of course I had lost about 40 pounds by the time I figured it out.
I've found that Sportsline makes a pretty accurate model, sold at those same big box stores under the name GOWalking, for around 8 dollars that work very well. You can pay a hundred dollars for one if you want, but these will work.
And here's a tip. Go to your local high school track to calibrate it. If you walk a mile, and the pedometer read far less or far more, you can fix it by adjusting the stride length you entered. Might take a few laps, but walking's what you're out there to do anyway!
BTW Jim, I hit the 86 pound mark this week. Still walking, and still losing.

Yan, you do make sense, because you aren't going to be wearing the pedometer all of the time, right? So steps you've taken when you weren't wearing it kind of get counted in a way.

When they first came out with pedometers, (or at least when I heard of them,) I was a little confused in a 'how the heck do these little things do that?' way, but they are really good for motivation.

I use an inexpensive one a couple times a week. It's a hit and miss sitution. All I care about is that it is progressing in the number for that day each time of the week. I have discovered by wearing it in the area of my rotund waist it actually sways back and forth as I move only one step and counts as two. Once I leaned up against something and the start over button was pressed. I only had a few steps at the end of the day. It is better than not having any idea at all.

I had a pedometer but I thought it was frustrating. And since I do a lot of other activities, e.g. riding a bike, I got myself a neat little GPS thingy from Garmin. (which is of course expensive compared to a pedometer). I can track all my movements exactly, including top speed, average speed and precise track length. It serves quite as the motivator to go out and make that extra mile ;)

My standard morning walking trip is 4.6 km and the pedometer counted 6 km...

I own a Omron HJ-112 Digital Premium Pedometer
and it is dead on. I bought it at Amazon and I will
never buy another pedometer other than this one.
Her e is a link to it
I tested it myself at a local high school track.
The way I tested it is by walking around the track and counting my steps. First you have to walk the inside, (close to the grass), and then walk the outside of the track. You will be amazed at the difference! Be sure to walk the track BEFORE using the unit of your choice and then walk with the unit of your choice. This is the best way to determine if YOUR unit is correct. SOunds like a lot of hassle? Think of it this way.... if the unit says I walked 5 miles and I only walked 3.... who gets cheated?
If you read the instructions and set up the unit as described you will walk exactally as far as the unit says you did. Besure to do the walk test several times before you enter your steps and time. We never walk the same at any given moment so be sure to be honest with yourself. Or if you want... just go to your local school track and just count your steps and start walking. :)

Get pedometer with sensitivity rating. Set to least sensitive setting. When pedometer shows you have done 10,000 steps, it will mean that you have done considerably more than that.

My gripe is that pedometers fall off your pants easily and get broken. I haven't been able to find one that will stay on consistently. I now secure it with a safety pin.

I have to disagree with cecelia slightly, as I do wear my pedometer all the time. It goes on when I get dressed in the morning and comes off when I go to bed. I know it is not 100% accurate, but wearing it motivates me to move more. Even if the step count is off, as Jim said, it's the pattern that matters. As long as I hit that 10,000 step mark each day, I know I did well. Since I started wearing it all the time, I've seen a drop in my weight and dress size.

My favorite right now is the iStep Sportsbrain, because it connects to your PC via USB, uploads your data to a website, then shows you graphically how you're doing. I was creating my own charts in Excel to track my activity before I got this pedometer, but now, I don't have to do that because their website does it for me.

I too have had a very cheap one that came free with a book about various types of walking. Wasn't bad and seemed accurate enough. Now I have a better one that can I can set for my stride to count as a step - a good idea since not everyone has the same length.

Absolute accuracy just isn't important, really...who is competing except with one's self? Perhaps the only really important point is wearing it properly (inline with the hip bone).

For me, though it is vaguely interesting how many kilometers I have walked, more important are the steps. And when I can I do wear it all day just to monitor myself. I am usually in the 15,000 range, usually more.

Steps really are more important than distance.

Harry, I completely second the recommendation of the Omron HJ-112. It's an excellent pedometer, not only is it accurate, but I love that I can throw it in my pocket. I was getting a rash from the plastic clip on the cheap ones. My only complaint is that it's not washing machine proof... now I have to pony up the $20 again. :-(

Who cares if they are accurate or if they are off by 10% if they help motivate you to walk? Walking is a great exercise particularly if you have been sedentary for some time.

Randy Smith, MD

Pedos are great in my opinion, I use mine to keep track of the amount of steps I take and if I find that I have not lifted my feet enough I go for a walk.

There are easy ways to test the accuracy of a pedometer.

Just set the pedometer at zero, clip it onto your waistband, in line with your knee and count while you walk 100 steps.

You should see that it registers between 90-110 steps. If so, your pedometer is working fine. If not, you may need to adjust its placement by moving it closer to or farther from your belly button and then checking it again.

I encourage all of my patients to get a pedometer. The one we use is the Digi-Walker #AE120 from Accusplit.

Some of the newer ones have a safety leash so it doesn't fall off. This is a very nice feature.

When using a pedometer, you are really competing with noone but yourself. This can be such a fun, motivating tool to use.

Robert Kushner, MD