Convergent Validity of a Consumer-Grade Accelerometer with a Research-Grade Pedometer in a Physical Education Setting

The cost of activity monitors has substantially reduced in recent years, making them more feasible for use in physical education programs. This study examined the convergent validity of the consumer-grade Movband activity monitor with the research-grade NL-2000 pedometer. The NL-2000 was chosen as the criterion unit because it is unaffected by BMI, pedometer tilt, or waist circumference, and has been recommended for use in research [1]. One hundred and eleven elementary school aged children (53 boys, 58 girls; 9.2 ± 0.7 yr.) from three physical education classes wore an NL-2000 on their right hip and a Movband on each wrist during a 30 minute class in which participants walked or ran on a hiking trail. A repeated measures ANOVA of mean steps indicated a significant difference (p< .001) between the NL-2000 (2411.74 ± 514.87) and the Movband worn on either wrist (left= 1554.33 ± 340.81, right= 1532.26 ± 329.76). Pearson product-moment correlations indicated that NL-2000 steps and Moves were significantly and positively correlated (p< .001; left= .79, right= .85). The correlation coefficient between left and right wrists was .87. In general, the Movband can provide reasonable estimates of physical activity for physical education teachers