Researchers suggest that using a pedometer could encourage people to walk more, which could improve their health, according to the research journal Studyfinds .
The trial was conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan (USA), including 425 heart failure patients.
People who walked an average of only 2,473 steps a day were more likely to experience heart failure symptoms.
The authors scored patients on a scale of 0 to 100 based on physical condition, symptoms, quality of life, and social limitations. Higher scores meant better health. Each participant wore a health tracker for 12 weeks.
The researchers found that people who walked more had better fitness and also experienced fewer symptoms.
After 2 weeks, the average physical score was 55.7/100 and the symptom score was 62.7/100.
As a result, by week 12, all participants had increased their walking habits, resulting in a 4-point increase in physical fitness scores and a 2.5-point increase in symptom scores.
The higher the number of steps, the higher the physical score and the symptom score.
Specifically, the study found that people who walked an average of only 2,473 steps per day experienced more frequent symptoms of heart failure, with total symptom scores ranging from 0 to 24.
In particular, those who increased their daily steps from 1,000 to 5,000 reaped the most benefits.
But those who walked an average of 5,351 steps daily had scores in the 75 to 100 range.
Our study shows that more walking improves health outcomes, meaning that increasing step count over time may be clinically meaningful, said study author Jessica Golbus, MD, of the University of Michigan Department of Cardiology.
In particular, people who increased their daily step count from 1,000 to 5,000 steps reaped the most benefits, according to Studyfinds .
But going beyond 5,000 steps did not increase the benefit. Additionally, walking 2,000 steps was worth 3.11 points more than walking just 1,000 steps. And reaching 3,000 steps was worth 2.89 points more than walking 2,000 steps.
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