Is an Activity Wristband-Based Intermittent Teaching Unit in the Physical Education Setting Effective for Increasing High School Students' Weekly Steps? School-Fit Study

Purpose: To examine the effect of an activity wristband-based intermittent teaching unit (TU) combined with other behavior modification strategies in the physical education setting on high school students' weekly steps. Method: Seventy-one high school students (49.3% girls) aged 12-16 years performed an 8-week intermittent TU (last 15 min of each session) twice a week. The TU consisted of the following strategies: activity wristband (24 hr), educational counseling, and progressive step goals, among others. Results: The students improved their weekly steps from Week 1 to Weeks 4-8 (p <= .001; d= 0.45-0.58). There was a higher percentage of students who did at least an average of 10,000 steps per day at Week 8 compared with Week 1 (p = .031; Cramer's V= 0.246). Conclusion: The studied intermittent TU increased students' weekly steps and the proportion of students who did at least an average of 10,000 steps per day.