Purpose: Walking may improve health in obese patients with multimorbidity. We aimed to identify predictors associated with achieving <5000 steps per day after 4 months.
Patients and methods: We conducted a cohort study of 125 adult patients with a body mass index >25 kg/m2 and ≥7 comorbidities. We evaluated potential predictors for <5000 steps per day using logistic regression and adjusting for age >65 years and sex.
Results: The mean (range) age was 63.6 (20.3-89.8) years. Daily step counts <5000 at baseline showed the highest risk of <5000 daily steps at 4 months (odds ratio [OR] 31.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.14-95.50). Other significant characteristics were physical quality of life (OR 6.21, 95% CI: 2.32-18.54), gait speed <1 m/s (OR 2.57, 95% CI: 1.18-5.71), age ≥65 years (OR 2.21, 95% CI: 1.05-4.77), waist circumference ≥102 cm (OR 2.48, 95% CI: 1.05-6.06), and body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 (OR 2.69, 95% CI: 1.20-6.26).
Conclusion: New models to increase walking may be required for higher-risk patients.
Keywords: multimorbidity; obesity; pedometer; walking.