Correlations between Pedometric Measurement in Daily Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between daily physical activity and physical fitness in 10 type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients without cardiovascular complications, aged 43-72 years (body mass index [BMI], 23.7 ± 2.2 kg/m2). The pedometric measurement was made using a calorie counter (CAL-D) in daily life at home, and was compared with oxygen uptake (VO2) and work load with gas analysis obtained using a bicycle ergometer. The mean number of gait steps recorded with CAL-D, and energy expenditure in exercise per day were 8,202 ± 1,966 steps/day and 231 ± 70 kcal/day respectively. The mean number of gait steps per day was positively correlated with VO2 (r=0.44, p<0.05). These results suggest that gait performance of daily physical activity at home is generally related with exercise endurance in DM patients.