Accuracy of Pedometers and Walking Activity in Adults with Mental Retardation

Walking is a common physical activity reported by individuals with mental retardation (MR). This study examined the accuracy and feasibility of pedometers for monitoring walking in 20 adults with MR. Also, step counts and distance walked were recorded for one week. Pedometer counts were highly consistent with actual step counts during normal and fast paced walking on two ground surfaces. Intraclass correlation coefficients were above .95. A t-test revealed no gender differences in walking activity. A 2 × 2 ANOVA indicated that participants with Down Syndrome (DS) accumulated significantly fewer step counts than those without DS and participants walked more on weekdays than weekends.