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Journal of Education, Health and Sport

One step closer – the impact of daily step count on health and how many steps should be taken per day
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One step closer – the impact of daily step count on health and how many steps should be taken per day

Authors

  • Paulina Polak Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny nr 4 w Bytomiu https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0006-8768
  • Monika Polaszek Dolnośląski Szpital Specjalistyczny im. T. Marciniaka - Centrum Medycyny Ratunkowej, Fieldorfa 2, 54-049 Wrocław https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0964-2454
  • Katarzyna Stencel Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny MEGREZ Sp z o o, Edukacji 102, 43-100 Tychy https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9574-9277
  • Aleksandra Berner Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny MEGREZ Sp. z o. o., Edukacji 102, 43-100 Tychy https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8252-3782
  • Maciej Pękała Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny MEGREZ Sp. z o.o. , Edukacji 102, 43-100 Tychy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6679-649X
  • Anna Olszewska Medical University of Silesia, ul. Poniatowskiego 15, 40-055 Katowice https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0314-5258
  • Karina Stelmaszak Medical University of Silesia, ul. Poniatowskiego 15, 40-055 Katowice https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3877-2753
  • Marta Bogowska Samodzielny Publiczny Szpital Wojewódzki im. Papieża Jana Pawła II w Zamościu, aleje Jana Pawła II 10, 22-400 Zamość https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3134-9940
  • Karolina Matyja Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny MEGREZ Sp. z o. o., Edukacji 102, 43-100 Tychy https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8073-0477
  • Klaudia Marczyk Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny MEGREZ Sp. z o. o., Edukacji 102, 43-100 Tychy https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1304-3498

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2023.21.01.016

Keywords

physical activity, daily step count, physical health, mental health

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Walking is an open-accessed form of physical activity that requires no specialized equipment and can be performed at practically any moment of the day. In recent years, it has gained increasing interest and stands out as one of the most widely recommended forms of exercise. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the number of studies focusing on the impact of mean daily step count on health has been growing each year, with a significant surge observed since 2017. Undoubtedly, this topic is relevant to current health trends. Hitherto, there are no evidence-based recommendations regarding the number of steps that should be taken per day. Within this review, we conducted an analysis on the impact of daily step count on the risk of death and the incidence of selected diseases.

Aim of the study: The aim of our study is to review of current literature on the influence of daily step count on both physical and mental health.

Materials and Methods: We reviewed the literature available in PubMed, using the key words: „daily step count”, „step count mental health”, „ physical activity”, „pedometr”.

Results: The daily step count can prominently impact the improvement and maintenance of human health and significant health benefits can be achieved by taking 4000-10000 steps per day.

Summary: Research has shown that individuals who take more steps throughout the day are less prone to certain diseases, experience milder symptoms, exhibit better overall physical fitness, and have a lower risk of all-cause mortality. In the upcoming years, we can expect further studies aimed at identifying the most optimal daily step count.

References

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World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour

Fiona C Bull, Salih S Al-Ansari, Stuart Biddle et al. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Dec; 54(24): 1451–1462. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955.

Systematic review of the prospective association of daily step counts with risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, and dysglycemia Katherine S. Hall, Eric T. Hyde, David R. Bassett et al., June 2020 International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 17(1).doi:10.1186/s12966-020-00978-9

Harris T, Limb ES, Hosking F, Carey I, DeWilde S, Furness C, et al. Effect of pedometer-based walking interventions on long-term health outcomes: prospective 4-year follow-up of two randomised controlled trials using routine primary care data. PLoS Med. 2019 Jun 25;16(6):e1002836. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002836. eCollection 2019 Jun.

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How many steps/day are enough? Preliminary pedometer indices for public health

Catrine Tudor-Locke, David R Bassett Jr Sports Med. 2004;34(1):1-8. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200434010-00001.

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Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults Kosuke Inoue, Yusuke Tsugawa, Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, Beate Ritz JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 1;6(3):e235174. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.5174.

Dose-response relationship between daily step count and prevalence of sarcopenia: a cross-sectional study Chiharu Iwasaka, Yosuke Yamada, Yuichiro Nishida et al. Exp Gerontol. 2023 May;175:112135.doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112135.

Prospective Associations of Daily Step Counts and Intensity With Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Mortality and All-Cause Mortality Borja Del Pozo Cruz, Matthew N Ahmadi, I-Min Lee, Emmanuel Stamatakis JAMA Intern Med. 2022 Nov 1;182(11):1139-1148. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4000.

Association of Daily Step Count and Intensity With Incident Dementia in 78 430 Adults Living in the UK Borja Del Pozo Cruz, Matthew Ahmadi, Sharon L Naismith, Emmanuel Stamatakis JAMA Neurol. 2022 Oct 1;79(10):1059-1063.doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.2672.

Physical activity and mental health: the connection between step count and depression, anxiety and quality of sleep Felix S Hussenoeder, Ines Conrad, Alexander Pabst et al.

Psychol Health Med. 2022 Dec 18;1-11.doi: 10.1080/13548506.2022.2159453.

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Experimentally increasing sedentary behavior results in increased anxiety in an active young adult population Meghan K Edwards, Paul D Loprinzi J Affect Disord. 2016 Nov 1;204:166-73.doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.06.045.

A meta-meta-analysis of the effect of physical activity on depression and anxiety in non-clinical adult populations Amanda L Rebar, Robert Stanton, David Geard

Health Psychol Rev. 2015;9(3):366-78.doi: 10.1080/17437199.2015.1022901.

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Published

2023-10-03

How to Cite

1.
POLAK, Paulina, POLASZEK, Monika, STENCEL, Katarzyna, BERNER, Aleksandra, PĘKAŁA, Maciej, OLSZEWSKA, Anna, STELMASZAK, Karina, BOGOWSKA, Marta, MATYJA, Karolina and MARCZYK, Klaudia. One step closer – the impact of daily step count on health and how many steps should be taken per day. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. Online. 3 October 2023. Vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 170-184. [Accessed 18 May 2025]. DOI 10.12775/JEHS.2023.21.01.016.
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Issue

Vol. 21 No. 1 (2023)

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Review Articles

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Copyright (c) 2023 Paulina Polak, Monika Polaszek, Katarzyna Stencel, Aleksandra Berner, Maciej Pękała, Anna Olszewska, Karina Stelmaszak, Marta Bogowska, Karolina Matyja, Klaudia Marczyk

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The periodical offers access to content in the Open Access system under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

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