Pedometer- and accelerometer- based physical activity interventions in Type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
AIMS Although accelerometer- and pedometer-based physical activity (PA) interventions can increase PA, there is no solid evidence for their benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) was to determine the effects of accelerometer- and pedometer-based PA interventions on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting glucose, weight, BMI, blood pressure, lipids, and PA in adults with T2DM. DATA SYNTHESIS Records from MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, and Scopus were searched from inception through March 28th, 2022. RCTs of at least two weeks of duration evaluated the effectiveness of pedometers or accelerometers as motivating tools for increasing PA in T2DM patients. This study was registered with PROSPERO and followed the PRISMA reporting guide. Of the 7131 non-duplicated articles retrieved, 24 RCTs (1969 patients) were included. The mean baseline HbA1c of the experimental group of included studies varied from 6.3 ± 0.9 % to 9.0 ± 0.01 %. The accelerometer- and pedometer-based PA interventions resulted in a greater improvement in HbA1c (-0.22 %; 95%CI, -0.4 % to -0.05 %; I2 = 77 %) and triglycerides (-13.11 mg/dL; 95%CI, -25.21 to -1.02; I2 = 22 %) versus control participants. Pedometer ambulatory use as a motivating tool significantly increased PA by 2,131 steps/day (95 % CI, 1,348 to 2,914; I2 = 74 %) in T2DM patients. CONCLUSIONS Pedometers and accelerometers are associated with reductions in HbA1c and triglycerides when used as motivating tools. Larger and higher-quality studies are required to determine the full effects of PA as motivated by trackers in T2DM population.
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A more recent meta-analysis focused on T2D patients reported that wearable device intervention increased daily step counts by 2132 steps (95% CI: 1349-2915).
“A more recent meta-analysis [24] that focused on T2D patients reported comparable findings: wearable device intervention increased daily step counts by 2132 steps (95% CI: 1349-2915).”
From Economic evaluation of wearable fitness trackers versus metformin for preventing type 2 diabetes in the UK population (2025) · cites this paper as [24]
Evidence from randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews indicates that fitness trackers are effective at increasing physical activity, as measured by daily steps and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
“Evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews indicates that fitness trackers are effective at increasing physical activity, as measured by daily steps and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activities (MVPA) [17,24,25].”
From Economic evaluation of wearable fitness trackers versus metformin for preventing type 2 diabetes in the UK population (2025) · cites this paper as [24]
Wearable activity trackers significantly increased daily step counts in patients with T2D (p < 0.05), with low evidence certainty.
“Three reviews evaluated the effect of wearable activity trackers on daily step counts in patients with T2D [42, 43, 45], all reporting statistically significant increases in the intervention group (p < 0.05) but with low evidence certainty.”
From Effectiveness of Wearable Devices for Diabetes Management: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (2026) · cites this paper as [43]
Wearable device-related interventions improved BMI (moderate-quality evidence).
“Two reviews [43, 45] indicated that wearable device‐related interventions improved BMI (moderate‐quality evidence) but had no significant effect on body weight (low‐quality evidence).”
From Effectiveness of Wearable Devices for Diabetes Management: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (2026) · cites this paper as [43]
Wearable device-related interventions had no significant effect on body weight (low-quality evidence).
“Two reviews [43, 45] indicated that wearable device‐related interventions improved BMI (moderate‐quality evidence) but had no significant effect on body weight (low‐quality evidence).”
From Effectiveness of Wearable Devices for Diabetes Management: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (2026) · cites this paper as [43]
Wearable-based exercise management interventions (e.g., pedometers with daily step targets) effectively improve physical activity and lipid profiles.
“In exercise management, wearable‐based exercise management interventions (e.g., pedometers with daily step targets) effectively improve physical activity and lipid profiles [42, 43, 45].”
From Effectiveness of Wearable Devices for Diabetes Management: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (2026) · cites this paper as [43]
Pedometers and smart wristbands effectively increase daily step counts and physical activity levels, contributing to improvements in lipid profiles and blood pressure.
“In exercise management, pedometers and smart wristbands effectively increase daily step counts and physical activity levels, contributing to improvements in lipid profiles and blood pressure [42–45].”
From Effectiveness of Wearable Devices for Diabetes Management: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (2026) · cites this paper as [43]
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- Authors
- de Oliveira, V. L. P., de Paula, T. P., & Viana, L. V.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (BR)
- Venue
- Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-03
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 548-558
- ISSN
- 0939-4753 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4389117223
- Semantic Scholar
- fb87676de8ce0fd66dda68cc8d9dda96c18e4b7b
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 0.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes Management and Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Keywords
- type 2 diabetes, physical activity interventions, pedometers, accelerometer, wearable activity trackers, HbA1c, glycemic control, triglycerides, blood pressure, body weight, motivation, step count
- MeSH terms
- Fitness Trackers, Adult, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Glycated Hemoglobin, Humans, Triglycerides, Exercise, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Actigraphy
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