HHS HealthBeat (December 21, 2007)

Walking it off with a pedometer

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with that single step. And a pedometer can keep track of those steps. What’s more, if the point is to walk off some weight and become healthier, a study finds the pedometer can help.

Dena Bravata of Stanford University saw that when she reviewed research about pedometer users who track their activity, compared with those who don’t.

``Pedometer users increased their physical activity by about 2,000 steps per day, which is equal to about a mile per day or 100 calories per day.’’ (9 seconds)

Pedometer users also lost weight and reduced blood pressure, especially if they had a certain number of steps as a goal. 

The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May, 26 2008