Prevalence of Meeting Daily Step Count Recommendations in Cardiovascular Patients With and Without Metabolic Syndrome

Purpose: We compared the prevalence of older cardiovascular patients with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS) who met the recommendations of walking more than 7000 and 10,000 steps/d, and we determined whether MetS status was significantly associated with meeting the daily step count recommendations before and after adjusting for demographic variables, comorbid conditions, and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: Older cardiovascular participants with MetS (n = 489) and without MetS (n = 154) were assessed on their walking for seven consecutive days with a StepWatch activity monitor. Results: The MetS group took significantly fewer steps/d than the non-MetS control group (7307 ± 3625 vs. 8933 ± 4487 steps/d; P <.001). Only 47 % and 21 % of the MetS group walked ≥7000 and 10,000 steps/d, respectively, whereas 68 % and 34 % of the control group met these recommendations (P <.001 and p =.002, respectively). The odds of walking 7000 steps/d were 52 % lower in the MetS group (OR = 0.48, 95 %CI = 0.29-0.77, P =.003), and the odds of walking 10,000 steps/d were a 37 % lower trend (OR = 0.63, 95 %CI = 0.39-1.04, P =.069). Additionally, the odds of walking 7000 and 10,000 steps/d were lower in participants with reduced HDL-cholesterol (OR = 0.35, 95 %CI = 0.21-0.60, P <.001 and OR = 0.45, 95 %CI = 0.25-0.80, P =.007, respectively) and abdominal obesity (OR = 0.52, 95 %CI = 0.37-0.74, P <.001 and OR = 0.45, 95 %CI = 0.30-0.68, P <.001, respectively). Conclusions: Older cardiovascular participants with MetS had an 18 % lower daily step count compared to those without MetS and were less likely to meet the 7000 and 10,000 steps/d recommendations. Additionally, older cardiovascular participants who were least likely to meet the daily step count recommendations included those who had reduced HDL-cholesterol and abdominal obesity.