Daily step counts were significantly higher on cardiac rehabilitation days versus non-rehabilitation days (7,387 vs 5,315, P<0.0001) and independently correlated with cardiac risk factors.
Observational (n=107)
Do daily step counts correlate with cardiac risk factors in individuals commencing phase II cardiac rehabilitation?
Higher levels of walking, even early after a coronary event, are favorably related to cardiac risk factors including fitness, centrally distributed adiposity, and HDL-C.
Absolute Event Rate: 7387% vs 5315%
p-value: p=< .0001
In Brief BACKGROUND Walking exercise favorably affects cardiac risk factors (CRF) and reduces total and cardiovascular disease-related mortality. The purpose of this study was to describe walking levels, prospectively measured by pedometer, in individuals commencing phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and to correlate step counts with CRF. METHODS Participants (>n = 107) wore a pedometer for 7 consecutive days starting the day after their first formal phase II CR exercise training session. Primary outcome was total steps taken, with CR and non-CR days analyzed separately. We examined the relationship between daily step counts and CRF. RESULTS Participants achieved significantly higher step counts on CR versus non-CR days (7,387 ± 3,387 vs 5,315 ± 3,336, P < .0001). Total daily step count correlated significantly, in descending order, with peak oxygen uptake, the number of days since the index cardiac event, diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, physical function score, waist circumference, body mass index, age, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). By multivariate analysis, peak oxygen uptake, HDL-C, and the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus independently correlated with daily non-CR step count (cumulative total r = 0.62, adjusted R2 = 0.35, P < .0001). Regression analysis, using step counts on CR days, produced similar results. CONCLUSIONS Daily steps taken by patients during the first week of phase II CR are quite low. Despite the low step counts, significant correlations between steps taken and CRF were found including fitness, centrally distributed adiposity, and HDL-C. Our results suggest that, even early after a coronary event, higher levels of walking are favorably related to CRF. Walking levels were measured prospectively by pedometer at phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) entry. Average daily steps during the first week of CR were quite low. Despite this finding, significant correlations were found between average daily steps and coronary risk factors including fitness, centrally distributed adiposity, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Savage et al. (Sat,) conducted a observational in Phase II cardiac rehabilitation (n=107). Cardiac rehabilitation days vs. Non-cardiac rehabilitation days was evaluated on Total steps taken (p=< .0001). Daily step counts were significantly higher on cardiac rehabilitation days versus non-rehabilitation days (7,387 vs 5,315, P<0.0001) and independently correlated with cardiac risk factors.