TY  - JOUR
AU  - Shapira-Daniels, Ayelet
AU  - Kornej, Jelena
AU  - Spartano, Nicole L
AU  - Wang, Xuzhi
AU  - Zhang, Yuankai
AU  - Pathiravasan, Chathurangi H
AU  - Liu, Chunyu
AU  - Trinquart, Ludovic
AU  - Borrelli, Belinda
AU  - McManus, David D
AU  - Murabito, Joanne M
AU  - Benjamin, Emelia J
AU  - Lin, Honghuang
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/3/6
TI  - Step Count, Self-reported Physical Activity, and Predicted 5-Year Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: Cross-sectional Analysis
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e43123
VL  - 25
KW  - atrial fibrillation
KW  - physical activity
KW  - fitness tracker
KW  - cardiovascular epidemiology
KW  - fitness
KW  - exercise
KW  - tracker
KW  - cardiology
KW  - heart
KW  - walk
KW  - step count
KW  - smartwatch
KW  - wearable
KW  - risk
KW  - cross-sectional analysis
AB  - Background: Physical inactivity is a known risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). Wearable devices, such as smartwatches, present an opportunity to investigate the relation between daily step count and AF risk. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between daily step count and the predicted 5-year risk of AF. Methods: Participants from the electronic Framingham Heart Study used an Apple smartwatch. Individuals with diagnosed AF were excluded. Daily step count, watch wear time (hours and days), and self-reported physical activity data were collected. Individuals’ 5-year risk of AF was estimated, using the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE)–AF score. The relation between daily step count and predicted 5-year AF risk was examined via linear regression, adjusting for age, sex, and wear time. Secondary analyses examined effect modification by sex and obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m2), as well as the relation between self-reported physical activity and predicted 5-year AF risk. Results: We examined 923 electronic Framingham Heart Study participants (age: mean 53, SD 9 years; female: n=563, 61%) who had a median daily step count of 7227 (IQR 5699-8970). Most participants (n=823, 89.2%) had a <2.5% CHARGE-AF risk. Every 1000 steps were associated with a 0.08% lower CHARGE-AF risk (P<.001). A stronger association was observed in men and individuals with obesity. In contrast, self-reported physical activity was not associated with CHARGE-AF risk. Conclusions: Higher daily step counts were associated with a lower predicted 5-year risk of AF, and this relation was stronger in men and participants with obesity. The utility of a wearable daily step counter for AF risk reduction merits further investigation. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e43123
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/43123
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36877540
DO  - 10.2196/43123
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/43123
ER  -