Pedometer Program:Every Step Counts

Cardiovascular disease is the second major cause of death for women in Israel and the leading cause of death among women worldwide. Women have higher mortality rates after a coronary or cerebrovascular event compared to men, and receive less attention for prevention and treatment of heart disease.

The risk factors for heart disease among women in Israel are high: 53% of women in the State of Israel are overweight or obese and 48% of women do not exercise.

Increasing physical activity can lower the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in women. The literature suggests that even minor changes in behavior can reduce the morbidity, mortality and costs to the health care system.

Pedometers have proven to be an effective tool for increasing physical activity, and have the potential to create change in health habits. The pedometer measures steps and is a simple measure that gives an estimate of the extent of exercise in terms of steps. The device is simple and user-friendly and serves as an indicator of movement as a result of health choices. The literature shows that when pedometers are integrated into a support program, they provide an incentive to increase physical activity. Supporting software includes, among other things - choosing personal goals, close tracking, and self-tracking and re balancing systems. "Implementation intention" is a strategy in the form of an "if-then plan" that can increase the likelihood of attaining one's goals. It is different than specifying a goal intentions as it specifies the when, where and how portions of goal-directed behavior. This study seeks to compare the increase in steps in participants randomly assigned in a 2:2:1 allocation to a goal-setting pedometer intervention, a goal-setting plus implementation intentions pedometer intervention vs pedometer only.