Research

Energy balance

Pedometer-based physical activity interventions produce modest but statistically significant reductions in BMI and body weight in overweight or obese adults with Type 2 diabetes compared to control groups.

If you have Type 2 diabetes and are overweight, using a pedometer to increase your daily walking can help you lose a small amount of weight and lower your BMI. You don't necessarily need to set strict step goals or combine it with diet changes to see some benefit, although adding dietary counseling might help. The key is consistency over several months.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Pedometer intervention led to significantly decreased BMI [weighted mean difference (WMD) -0.15 kg/m2, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.29 to -0.02 kg/m2] and reduced weight (WMD -0.65 kg, 95% CI -1.12 to -0.17 kg).
Xue Cai et al. · Diabetic Medicine · 2016

Why this rating

Meta-analysis of 11 RCTs with 1258 participants provides high-level evidence, though heterogeneity and risk of bias in some included studies are noted.

Source

Pedometer intervention and weight loss in overweight and obese adults with Type 2 diabetes: a meta‐analysis

Xue Cai et al. · Diabetic Medicine · 2016

DOI 10.1111/dme.13104

Meta-analysis · 11 studiesCited 45×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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