Step count of young adults using phone app and wearable band

Background: Physical activity helps maintain good health whereas sedentary behavior is associated with several life-style disorders. Objective: This study was therefore conducted to understand physical activity pattern of young adults and to compare the use of fitness band and phone app for counting steps. Methods: Step count of subjects was observed using a phone app (Runtastic pedometer) and fitness band (MI) pedometers. One hundred and fifteen subjects (60 young men and 55 young women) participated in this study. They were divided into two groups- fitness band and phone app group. Both groups recorded and reported their step count for three days. A questionnaire was used to examine activity level, to identify indicators of sedentary behavior and opinion of participants towards physical activity. Results: The mean step count of the fitness band group was 8221.92 ± 886.01 steps and phone app group was 8676.56 ± 995.11. There was no significant correlation between use of phone app, BMI and body weight. However, there was a significant correlation between use of fitness band and body weight. Conclusion: Use of fitness band and phone app pedometers increased awareness of physical activity and motivated subjects to increase their step count.