Walk it off

A year ago, Dr. James Hill took a deliberate step to change fat America: Every day, he declared, people should walk a little more and eat a little less to prevent weight gain.

It's a deceptively simple strategy to attack a huge and complex problem. Being overweight contributes to several killer diseases, especially cardiovascular disease and cancer. Two out of every three people are too heavy, and kids are growing extra-large at a rate even faster than their flabby parents.

It was a risky step, too. Hill and his colleagues launched an initiative called America on the Move with great fanfare but not much scientific data.

Now some early results are trickling in. While far from conclusive, these initial studies support Hill's idea that walking as little as 2,000 more steps a day and eating 100 fewer calories will create some good habits to prevent weight gain. With more exercise, many participants report they begin to lose weight, too.

Meanwhile, America on the Move has spread from its Colorado origins to chapters in 20 states with more than 300,000 registered participants. The nonprofit program also is gathering some big-name corporate and medical partners, including the Mayo Clinic and American Academy of Family Physicians.

It's an example of how hungry people are for an easy solution to the nation's fastest-growing health issue.

"You can't just tell people to triple their physical activity overnight," said Hill, who is aiming for 1 million participants. "You have to make small changes or they will fail."

Hill published his first research paper in the Journal of Physical Review and Health, a small quarterly launched in January by leading researchers in obesity and exercise science.

The study used pedometers to track physical activity over a 14-week period of 298 people at their jobs and more than 100 worshippers at churches in Denver.

In both groups, about half of the people who reported their daily activity increased their steps by 2,000 or more steps, which translates to burning 80 to 100 extra calories.

The study's initial phase did not measure participants' weight gain or loss. Nor did it include a control group with people who did not take part in the pedometer program. That will come later.

Also, many participants did not consistently track and report their walking during the 14-week period, leading to data gaps.

Hill acknowledged the shortcomings and described the slow pace of the research as frustrating. Still, he said, the preliminary results show that people will stick to regular physical activity programs that are not too ambitious.

For example, last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people walk 10,000 steps a day, or about five miles.