Now, the results of a Stanford University School of Medicine study led by Dena Bravata, MD, MS, a senior research scientist in medicine, have confirmed and quantified the health benefits long associated with use of this device.

Step by Step

"Much to my surprise, these little devices were shown to increase physical activity by just over 2,000 steps, or about 1 mile of walking per day," said Bravata.

The increased daily activity in turn results in weight loss and improved blood pressure, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Americans are notoriously sedentary, a likely cause for the rampaging epidemic of obesity in the country. Fewer than half of Americans get enough physical activity to meet the national guideline of 30 minutes per day, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.

For her study, Bravata undertook an analysis of the results of 26 previous studies -- which included 18 observational studies and eight randomized trials -- that included information on the use of pedometers to motivate physical activity. The review involved 2.767 study participants, most of whom were overweight females who had been relatively inactive prior to their participation in the research.

Concrete Results

Though the programs in the studies Bravata's team analyzed varied considerably, they all involved daily walking over a period of weeks -- the mean duration was 18 weeks.

Pedometer users in the randomized trials increased their physical activity by 2,491 steps per day more than participants who did not use pedometers, the researchers found. That equated to a 27 percent increase in physical activity, which Bravata termed "astounding."

The pedometer users lost weight: Their body mass index -- a measure of body fat based on height and weight -- decreased by 0.4. That would translate to a two-and-a-half pound loss for a 5' 6" woman who initially weighed 195 pounds. Systolic blood pressure -- the upper number of the two values -- fell by 3.8 mm Hg, the researchers found. A reduction of just 2 mm Hg is associated with a 10 percent reduction in stroke mortality and a 7 percent reduction in death from vascular causes, Bravata pointed out.

Having a step goal was a key predictor of increased physical activity, according to the report.

Getting Started

Following is a summary of tips from Shape Up America! for getting started in a 10,000-steps walking program:

Pedometers are relatively inexpensive, with many brands selling for as little as $10 or $15. So you may not want to wait and see if there's one in your stocking -- treat yourself to better health right now.