Steps vs. time: Which is a better metric for exercise?

A new study suggests that step counts should be included in physical activity guidelines—because they're an easy concept for people to grasp. Results showed that measuring time spent doing moderate to vigorous activity and counting the number of steps taken both show the same association with reducing all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease.Current Canadian guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a week for all adults, but do not include advice on number of steps.Dr. Rikuta Hamaya, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted the study because there was not enough evidence supporting including step counts in physical activity guidelines. “Such evidence would be advantageous because steps are an intuitive measure understood by the public,” they wrote in their paper.The researchers examined data from the Women’s Health Study, which followed women 62 years or older who were free of cancer or cardiovascular disease. The study ran from 1992 to 2004, and physical activity was monitored with an accelerometer in a 2011-2015 ancillary study. Participants were followed until 2022.The study included 14,339 women who had a mean age of 71.8 years. They exercised a median of 62 minutes a week, with a range of 20 to 149 minutes. They took a median of 5,183 steps per day, with a range of 3,691 to 7,001 steps per day.Read: Why you shouldn’t be afraid to start running after middle ageBoth methods of measuring exercise showed similar results. When the data was divided into quartiles, those who spent more time doing moderate to vigorous activity had:a 32% lower risk of dying compared to those who spent the least amount of time exercising a 43% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those who exercised for less timeWhen steps were counted, those in the highest quartile of steps had:a 42% lower risk of dying than those who had the lowest number of stepsa 28% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those with the lowest step counts The researchers concluded this supports the case for including step count goals in future physical activity guidelines. Since there are many wearable devices and most smartphones can measure step counts, “steps likely can be monitored by a large swath of the public, reducing the education barrier to understanding MVPA and different activity intensities,” Dr. Hamaya and colleagues wrote. Many people might find step counts easier to understand when it comes to physical activity goals. They don’t have to decide if the activity is moderate to vigorous and “step-based goals may be more easily integrated into daily life and increased gradually.” The one problem with step counts as a metric is that it doesn’t differentiate between intensity of exercise. This may be more important for a more active or younger population, who will see added health benefits with more intense movement.Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines are available on a dedicated website.The study appeared in JAMA Internal Medicine.Read: Feeding patients the idea of exercise snacks

Steps vs. time: Which is a better metric for exercise?

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics