DWM More Steps Per Day Linked to Lower Mortality Risk

More Steps Per Day Linked to Lower Mortality Risk

By Kelly Young

Taking more steps per day is associated with lower all-cause mortality risk, according to an observational study in JAMA.

Roughly 4800 adults aged 40 and up participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) wore accelerometers on their hips during waking hours for 7 days. During a mean 10 years' follow-up, 24% died. The unadjusted all-cause mortality rates were:

• 77 per 1,000 person-years for those who took less than 4000 steps per day;
• 21 per 1,000 for 4,000–7,999 steps;
• 7 per 1,000 for 8,000–11,999 steps; and
• 5 per 1,000 for 12,000 steps and above.

In adjusted analyses, people who took 8,000 steps per day had lower all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality than those who took 4,000 steps. Faster walking speed was not associated with lower mortality after adjusting for total daily steps.

JAMA article (Free abstract)