Reliability of StepWatch Activity Monitor to Measure Locomotor Activity in Youth With Lower Limb Salvage.
Saori Braun, Kristie Bjornson, Erin Dillon-Naftolin and 3 others
PMID 29924072WHAT IT FOUND
In youth after lower limb salvage, an ankle step monitor needed 4 weekdays, 2 weekend days, or a 3-day mix for a reliable walking estimate.
Use at least 1 weekday and 1 weekend day.
Key findings
01A stable step-count measure required 4 weekdays, 2 weekend days, or a 3-day combination of weekdays and weekends.
02Differences between participants accounted for 55.1-68.4% of step-count variance, while day-to-day differences accounted for 0-1.3%.
03Mean weekend step counts were greater than mean weekday step counts.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The analysis included only 19 participants, so it may not apply to all youth with lower limb salvage. Participants were not grouped by age, diagnosis, or time since treatment, so these factors may affect the number of days needed. Only 2 participants had monitoring that covered 2 sets of weekend days, so weekend stability was examined using 1 set of weekend days. The device was worn on the left ankle for everyone, and the study did not test whether the salvaged limb, non-salvaged limb, or dominant limb gives different step counts. Data were collected in 2006, so newer surgical techniques may not be represented. Most data were collected during summer, and seasonal activity patterns were not tested. Zero-step days were treated as missing and replaced with each participant's average valid days, not actual measured activity.
Declared interests
The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not apply the 4-day, 2-day, or 3-day monitoring rule to every young person with a disability. This estimate came from 19 participants with lower limb salvage, and the authors said monitoring length should be chosen by age, sex, environment, and specific disability.