Cheap pedometers are so inaccurate that they provide little value, a study has indicated.
Just one in four of 973 cheap pedometers tested gave readings that fell within an “acceptable” 10 per cent variation from the true number of steps taken by the user. Three quarters exceeded or fell below the 10 per cent mark, while more than a third varied by more than 50 per cent from the correct reading. Most of the pedometers (64.8 per cent) overestimated the number of steps taken.
The findings in the study, from Ghent University in Belgium, are published in the British Journal of Sports Science. The scientists said that the introduction of a quality label would be useful.