Daily 7500 steps or 15 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity: Is it sufficient for the secondary prevention for ischaemic heart disease?

The use of pedometers is becoming increasingly common in physical activity (PA) interventions. However, the minimum number of steps required to improve control of risk factors remains uncertain. Objective. - To determine whether individuals with ischemic heart disease who take an average of at least 7500 steps per day or more than 15 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (>= 3.6 METs) per day over a one-year period have better control of risk factors for CVD than those who do not meet these targets. Method. - A comparative descriptive study in which PA was measured with a pedometer (Digiwalker NL-1000) worn at the waist from morning to evening for 7 days. This measurement was taken 5 times at 3-month intervals. The sample consisted of 20 men and 16 women (66 +/- 6 years). After 12 months, averages of daily steps and minutes spent doing a MVPA were calculated for each participant. Those with an average of > 7500 steps were classified as STEP+ and those with an average of > 15 minutes of MVPA were classified as MIN+. Clinical risk factor indicators were measured 3 times at 6-month intervals. Results. - The STEP+ (n = 12) and STEP-(n = 23) groups performed 5040 +/- 1522 and 9128 +/- 1695 steps respectively on average over 12 months. A significant difference was observed between these groups for waist circumference (Delta 11.2 +/- 3.4 cm), BMI (Delta 4.7 +/- 1.7 kg/m(2)), triglycerides (Delta 0.41 +/- 0.14 mmol/L), and non-HDL cholesterol (Delta 0.46 +/- 0.2 mmol/L). The mean daily minutes of MVPA in the MIN- and MIN+ groups were 8.0 +/- 3.9 min and 22.8 +/- 5.3 min, respectively. Waist circumference was also improved in the MIN+ group. Conclusion. - People with ischemic heart disease who performed 7500 steps/day or 15 min/day of MVPA appear to have better control of certain risk factors such as obesity and dyslipidemia. These results encourage patients with ischemic heart disease to maintain a daily physical activity of 7500 steps/day or 15 min of PVD to reduce their cardiovascular risk. (C) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.