Valley Family Medicine Clinic physicians evaluated the research findings of nearly 30 different studies involving pedometer use and evidence-based increases in activity and improvements in health outcomes. Here’s what they learned from examining the research:
- Overweight patients wearing pedometers increased their steps by about a mile a day and reduced their systolic blood pressure by a modest 4 mm Hg, compared to those not wearing a pedometer.
- In overweight patients with diabetes, pedometer use, together with nutritional counseling, resulted in a nearly two pound greater weight loss than nutritional counseling alone.
- In patients with hip, knee or back pain, wearing a pedometer increased walking and resulted in a reduction of pain.
- In “low activity” patients aged 65 years and better who were counseled to increase activity, wearing a pedometer increased leisure walking.
Bottom line: If you’re 65+ and don’t get as much activity as you should, a pedometer could help you increase your daily steps, a great thing for helping manage blood sugar and increasing your overall physical activity!
Study conducted by Devin Schock, MD & Jon Neher, MD, Valley Family Medicine Residency, Valley Medical Center, Renton, WA and published in The Journal of Family Practice, January 2017.
About Valley Family Medicine Residency Program
The Valley Family Medicine Residency Program is a community-based, graduate medical education training program committed to excellence in the teaching and professional development of highly qualified family physicians. Each class of eight residents train at Valley for three years. Training includes full spectrum family medicine with quality inpatient care throughout Valley Medical Center’s Birth Center, Emergency Department, Pediatrics, General Surgery and Pharmacy. Residents see primary care patients daily at the Valley Family Medicine Clinic and train in obstetrics, behavioral health, as well as in a variety of other outpatient specialties. The residency is accredited by the American Medical Association Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and affiliated with the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency Network.
Way to go VFM!!
What kind of pedometer works best? Where can I find one?
Hi Sue, It really depends on what works best for your daily activities and budget, but there are a variety of fitness tracking options. Here at the hospital, you’ll see a lot of people wearing watch-style fitness trackers, but there are also pedometer options that you can clip to your pants pocket.
I love my tracker. I find myself encouraged to walk more and if I don’t hit my goal for the day I push myself a little more the next day. My life has changed since I started using mine. I have lowered my A1C, down 1.0 and lost almost 40lbs. I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest someone to go out and buy one.