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Study: As Few as 1-2 Days of 8,000 Steps Can Lower Mortality Risk

May 2, 2023 | Tips & Trends
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Researchers found that all-cause mortality risk dropped even when daily step goals weren’t being met consistently.

The Message

Getting in a sufficient number of steps per day is associated with lower mortality risk, but what happens when daily goals are only met part of the time? Researchers who linked an accelerometer study from 2005-2006 to deaths 10 years later say that they’ve found a dose-response relationship indicating that reaching an 8,000-step goal only one or two days a week can significantly reduce risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease-related mortality, with those risks continuing to fall until participants met this step goal four days a week. The findings, they write, are promising for individuals who may have difficulty exercising regularly.

The Study

Researchers collected accelerometer data from 3,101 participants in the 2005 and 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The steps portion of the survey asked participants to wear a waist accelerometer for a week during waking hours. For this study, authors included participants with data indicating that they wore the device for 10 hours or more at least four days during the week surveyed, with participants divided into three groups according to the number of days they took 8,000 steps or more: zero days, one to two days, and three to seven days. Researchers then compared steps data with deaths over a 10-year period drawn from the National Death Index, a databank that contains identifying information including Social Security numbers, name, and date of birth, as well as demographic characteristics.

Participants

The average age of the participants in the survey was 50.5, and the cohort was nearly evenly divided between women (51%) and men (49%). White participants comprised half of the study group, with Black, Hispanic, and other race and ethnicity individuals making up 21.5%, 23.7%, and 3.9%, respectively.

In terms of steps taken, 20.4% never reached 8,000 steps or more during the week, 17.2% hit the 8,000-step goal one to two days during the week, and 62.5% recorded 8,000 or more steps three to seven days during the week. Those with higher step numbers tended to be men, younger, Hispanic, married, and never-smokers.

Findings

Overall, during the 10-year period after the survey, all-cause deaths were recorded among 14.2% of participants, with 5.3% of those deaths related to cardiovascular disease.

Compared with the zero-days group, participants who recorded one to two days a week of 8,000 steps or more registered a 14.9% lower all-cause 10-year mortality risk, and an 8.1% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death. Risk reduction for this group was recorded across age groups and among both men and women.

Participants who recorded three to seven days of 8,000 steps or more were associated with a 16.5% lower all-cause mortality risk compared with the zero-days group and an 8.4% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death.

The dose-response plateaued when participants recorded three days of 8,000 steps, with more 8,000-step days not associated with significantly lower mortality risk. Likewise, analysis of the protective nature of steps didn’t vary much by quantity between 6,000- and 10,000-step limits.

Why It Matters…

While the rise of wearables has made step-counting an easy way to monitor physical activity — and added an element of gamification that can keep motivation up — authors point out that not everyone is capable of registering a consistently ideal number of steps daily. Rather than posting the achievement of step goals as an all-or-nothing proposition, the current study reveals that “people may receive substantial health benefits even if a sufficient number of steps are taken only a couple days of the week,” they write.

Keep in Mind…

While authors see strengths in their study’s use of objective measurement of steps and a solid linkage to death data, they acknowledge several limitations of their research. Among them: lack of data on how changes to physical activity may have affected mortality, accelerometer measurement error, the possibility that participants might’ve been more active than normal because they were wearing a device, the use of self-reported data on socioeconomic status and health history, and the absence of analysis of specific-cause mortality other than cardiovascular.

Article courtesy of APTA

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The safety of our patients, communities and team members remains our top priority. We know you have a choice in your care providers and appreciate your commitment to Phoenix and our qualified clinicians.

Here are the actions we have taken to keep our patients, communities and team healthy & safe:

  • Flexible scheduling allows for social distancing
  • Regular cleaning and sanitation of all clinic surfaces
  • Facemasks must be worn by all Phoenix staff and are recommended for all patients
  • Screening questionnaire and temperature checks prior to entering clinics
  • 6 feet of social distancing throughout the clinics

Keeping Our Clinics Safe

Here are some tips on how we can keep each other safe:

  • Handwashing is your best self-defense against the spread of germs. When soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty, use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Please stay home if you are not feeling well, especially if you have a fever, are coughing or sneezing, or are experiencing shortness of breath. If a patient shows up with symptoms, the clinic team will work with them to reschedule.
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Here are actions we are taking to keep our clinics clean and safe:

  • Equipment will be wiped down after EVERY use with antibacterial wipes/sprays
  • All surfaces that patients or staff may touch including door handles, countertops, seating, pens at sign-in, bathroom and all other common areas will be disinfected regularly
  • Treatment tables will be 6 feet apart
  • Team members will wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, particularly after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing their nose, coughing or sneezin
  • Clinics will have hand sanitizer available at the front desk and in the treatment areas
  • Any Phoenix team members who are ill will be asked to stay home
  • We will maintain social distancing between patients in the clinic
  • Caregivers that are bringing a patient to the clinic should wait in their car or come back when the appointment has ended unless necessary (i.e. minor requiring a guardian or for assistance needs)
  • When possible, we will treat patients in private rooms to increase social distancing
  • Any patients that have underlying health issues (i.e. diabetes, respiratory problems, etc.) will be given the option to be seen during special clinic hours or can opt to be treated in a private room away from other clinicians and patients
  • All patients should be self-screening before entering the clinic. Our PCCs will perform a secondary screening during the check-in process and before patients enter the clinic including a screening questionnaire and temperature check.
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