10,000 steps a day to improve health: investigating fast and slow walking speeds
Author
Purcell, Clíona
Bulley, Catherine
Macpherson, Colin
MacMillan, C.
Crawford, L.
Joyce, D.
Metadata
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Purcell, C., Bulley, C., Macpherson, C., MacMillan, C., Crawford, L. & Joyce, D. () 10,000 steps a day to improve health: investigating fast and slow walking speeds, , , , ,
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study investigated whether individuals walking
10,000 steps per day at fast and slow walking speeds are likely
to achieve the minimum recommended daily energy expenditure
from physical activity. RELEVANCE: The promotion of participation
in physical activity (PA) and exercise is increasingly important in
physiotherapy practice. One strategy is to encourage walking; the
British Heart Foundation (2005: http://www.bhf.org.uk) suggest a
minimum of 10,000 steps per day to reduce risk factors for disease.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend that
at least 140 kilocalories per day are expended through PA (Balady et
al., 2000: ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription).
However, there is a lack of research to investigate whether individuals
walking 10,000 steps per day expend more than 140 kilocalories,
and whether walking speed influences the likelihood of meeting
ACSM guidelines. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 30
undergraduate students was recruited (12 men: mean age 25.5
years; mean height 190.5 cm; mean weight 75.0 kg; 18 women:
mean age 22.3 years; mean height 166.5 cm; mean weight
58.3 kg). Individuals with relevant medical history were excluded.
Ethical approval was granted by Queen Margaret University College
research ethics committee. METHODS: An experimental samesubject
design was used in a laboratory-based study comparing
physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE: kilocalories) while
walking at 3.2 kilometres per hour (kph: slow speed) and 6.4kph
(fast speed). Each participant walked for 1,000 steps on a level
treadmill, measured using the tally-count method, while wearing
a Tritrac-R3D accelerometer to monitor PAEE (kilocalories). Data
were collected on two separate days and the order of walking
speeds was randomised. ANALYSIS: Data were processed by
multiplying PAEE achieved during 1,000 steps on a treadmill by 10
to estimate the likely PAEE from the recommended 10,000 steps.
The percentage of individuals who would theoretically achieve the
recommended level of PAEE was calculated. The estimated PAEE
for each walking speed was compared using the Wilcoxon signedranks
test as not all the data were normally distributed (Shapiro-
Wilks: 3.2 kph trial: p = 0.03; 6.4 kph trial: p = 0.00). RESULTS:
Out of 30 participants, 29 (96.7%) participants achieved the daily
PAEE recommended by the ACSM during the slow walking speed
(3.2 kph). The theoretical PAEE (kilocalories) from walking 10,000
steps was significantly greater at the faster walking speed (Z=-4.782,
p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: On extrapolation from 1,000 steps on a
treadmill, energy expenditure while walking 10,000 steps at a slow
walking speed is likely to meet ACSM recommendations, although
significantly more energy is expended at a faster walking speed. This
exploratory study used a controlled setting that removed the impacts
of conditions such as gradient and wind resistance; it is likely that the
estimate of PAEE during 1000 steps on a treadmill underestimates
the energy expended in a real life setting. Further field-based work
is recommended, including the impact of accumulating short or
long periods of stepping. IMPLICATIONS: These results suggest
that physiotherapists can recommend the accumulation of 10,000
steps per day while walking at slow or fast speeds.