Research

Energy balance

Pedometer-based walking interventions without dietary changes result in modest weight loss (pooled mean -1.27 kg) in sedentary, overweight or obese adults, with greater weight loss associated with longer intervention duration.

Start a pedometer-based walking program with a goal of increasing your daily steps. You can expect to lose about 1 kg over several months if you don't change your diet. To lose more weight, consider adding a dietary component. Focus on consistency and setting realistic goals to avoid disappointment.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The pooled estimate of mean weight change from baseline using a random-effects model and combining data from all 9 cohorts was –1.27 kg (95% confidence interval, –1.85 to –0.70 kg)... We found a strong linear association between the duration of intervention and the magnitude of weight change (β = –0.05, P = .003), with interventions of longer duration being associated with greater weight change.
Caroline R. Richardson et al. · The Annals of Family Medicine · 2008

Why this rating

Meta-analysis of 9 randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies with consistent findings and no evidence of publication bias.

Source

A Meta-Analysis of Pedometer-Based Walking Interventions and Weight Loss

Caroline R. Richardson et al. · The Annals of Family Medicine · 2008

DOI 10.1370/afm.761

Meta-analysis · 9 studiesCited 429×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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