Background:

Recommended daily step volume and subsequent step increments are beginning to emerge for healthy populations. These recommendations are used to provide tangible goals for increasing activity. The simplicity of this type of activity prescription may be attractive for individuals with heart failure (HF). To date, however, recommendations for walking-related activity are unknown for individuals with HF. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of the pedometer as a measurement tool in patients with systolic heart failure (CHF) and diastolic heart failure (DHF). Methods: Twelve individuals with CHF (mean ejection fraction (EF) = 30.7% +/- 12.8) and 15 individuals with DHF (mean EF = 55.5% +/- 9.1) completed the following: a maximal oxygen uptake test (peak VO₂); pedometer step measurements for seven days; and a self-report physical activity (PA) and sit-time history.

Results:

Pearson product moment correlation showed average daily steps was significantly correlated with VO₂ peak (r = 0.84, P =.000) indicating that pedometer steps may reflect exercise tolerance. A one-way ANOVA confirmed a functional difference between DHF and CHF with a significant difference shown in EF (F = 16.8, P =.000), VO₂ peak (F = 3.9, P =.033), and average daily pedometer steps (F = 5.8, P =.020). The average daily steps for DHF (8179 +/- 3585) was similar to apparently healthy populations (approximate mean = 7000 steps), while the mean daily steps for the CHF group (4973.4 +/- 470.9) was substantially lower.

Conclusions:

This data suggests that individuals with DHF may be able to safely follow guidelines for apparently healthy populations. Optimal step progressions for patients with CHF are likely to be less. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that measurement of baseline step counts may provide an indication of exercise capacity in patients with DHF and CHF.