Higher Daily Step Count Linked to Lower Risk for Depression

MONDAY, Dec. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Higher daily step counts are associated with fewer depressive symptoms in adults, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online online Dec. 16 in JAMA Network Open.

Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, Ph.D., M.P.H., from Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain, and colleagues synthesized the associations between objectively measured daily step counts and depression in the general adult population in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Thirty-three studies (27 cross-sectional and six longitudinal [three panel and three prospective]) involving 96,173 adults were reviewed.

According to the researchers, in both cross-sectional and panel studies, there was an inverse association for daily steps with depressive symptoms. Pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) from cross-sectional studies showed that 10,000 or more steps/day; 7,500 to 9,999 steps/day; and 5,000 to 7,499 steps/day were significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms compared with fewer than 5,000 steps/day (SMDs, −0.26, −0.27, and −0.17, respectively). Participants with 7,000 or more steps/day had a reduced risk for depression compared with their counterparts with fewer than 7,000 steps/day based on pooled estimates from prospective cohort studies (risk ratio, 0.69). A lower risk for depression was seen with an increase of 1,000 steps/day (risk ratio, 0.91).

“Our results showed significant associations between higher numbers of daily steps and fewer depressive symptoms as well as lower prevalence and risk of depression in the general adult population,” the authors write. “The objective measurement of daily steps may represent an inclusive and comprehensive approach to public health that has the potential to prevent depression.”

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