Heart health
ACC urges routine exercise prescriptions in cardiovascular care
The ACC statement recommends routine exercise counseling, noting that about 5,000 to 7,000 daily steps are associated with lower mortality for many adults.
Its new scientific statement offers guidance on exercise prescriptions for adults across cardiovascular disease prevention and management. The statement says the greatest gains occur when people move from inactivity to regular physical activity, with further benefits from increasing activity as clinically appropriate.
The statement cites evidence that cardiovascular benefits can occur below 10,000 steps per day, and that about 5,000 to 7,000 daily steps are associated with lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality for many adults. The ACC also calls for more exercise counseling in routine care, better clinician training, expanded access to cardiac rehabilitation and further research on long-term adherence, clinical outcomes, diverse populations and scalable delivery models.
