Plain language summary
A sedentary lifestyle is a key factor in the development of metabolic syndrome and walking is a simple way to increase physical activity. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of an eight-week programme with a step goal of 12,000 steps a day alone with a more intensive walking programme which had the same step goal in 32 obese young adults who did not regularly engage in exercise. Participants were randomly assigned to a walking step goal group (WSG), a walking exercise group (WEG) who included 3 x 30 min moderate intensity walking per week, and a control group (CG) with no intervention. There was no significant difference in step count between the two intervention groups, but they both did significantly more steps than the control group. Only the WEG showed significant improvements in the cardiovascular risk factors hip circumference, visceral (abdominal) fat, fasting glucose and triglycerides. HDL-cholesterol significantly improved in both exercise groups. The authors conclude that a combination of walking with moderately high intensity sessions and daily step goal is a more efficient in improving body composition and metabolic syndrome than simply establishing a daily step goal.
Abstract
BACKGROUND To investigate the differences in body composition and metabolic syndrome (MS) under a daily 12,000-step strategy with or without moderate-intensity walking exercise in college students with obesity. METHODS Thirty-two adults with obesity (mean (s.d.) age: 19.72 (0.80) years; height: 165.38 (3.99) cm; wt: 83.31 (4.66) kg; body mass index: 30.38 (0.83) kg m- 2) were recruited and randomly assigned to the walking step goal group (WSG; achieving 12,000 steps per day), walking exercise group (WEG; achieving 12,000 steps per day, including 3 days per week on which walking at a step rate of over 103 steps min- 1 was required), or control group (CG; maintaining a free-living life style). Each participant's accumulated daily steps from daily activities and walking exercises were monitored using a smartwatch for 8 weeks. The variables of body composition and MS were measured before and after intervention. RESULTS Average daily steps over 8 weeks did not significantly differ between the WSG and WEG (11,677.67 (480.24) vs. 12,131.90 (527.14) steps per day, respectively, P > .05). Although the CG and WSG showed no improvement in body composition, the WEG exhibited significant improvements in terms of hip circumference and visceral fat area (VFA) (∆ - 2.28 (3.27) cm and ∆ - 13.11 (9.83) cm2, respectively, P < .05); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting glucose (FG), and triglycerides (TG) (∆ 16.36 (8.39), ∆ - 2.53 (3.73), and ∆ - 10.52 (36.26) mg dL- 1, respectively, P < .05). The WSG exhibited improvements only in HDL-C (∆ 14.24 (16.13) mg dL- 1, P < .05). CONCLUSION The combination of walking exercise program and daily step goal is a more time efficient strategy in improving body composition and MS than simply establishing a daily step goal. Furthermore, this strategy may also include a potential reduction effect on the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. TRIAL REGISTRATION Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, number ACTR N12618001237279 (Retrospectively registered).
Methodological quality
Jadad score
:
1
Allocation concealment
:
Not applicable
