Want to ward off the winter blues? Start by counting your steps – new research

Over 330 million people currently suffer from depression worldwide, though the complexity of diagnosis and the heterogeneity of this condition mean that such a figure can only ever be a conservative estimate.

Depressive disorders are a major cause of disability, and affect multiple aspects of a person’s quality of life, including their emotional well-being, social relationships, functional ability and physical health. Fortunately, we have ways of preventing them from taking hold, and physical activity is one of them.

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The risk of developing depression is influenced by a range of interconnected genetic, biological, psychological, environmental, social and behavioural factors. Among these, unhealthy lifestyle elements, such as not getting enough regular physical activity, can play a key role in the deterioration of mental health.

Identifying these risks and encouraging a preventative attitude is therefore crucial to reducing the prevalence of depression, and to improving people’s overall quality of life.

We aren’t getting enough exercise

Physical activity is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle, but globally, 81% of adolescents and 31% of adults do not meet the recommended guidelines.

At the same time, two thirds of the world’s regions have increasingly insufficient levels of physical activity. In 2019, this contributed to 830,000 deaths and the loss of 16 million disability-adjusted life years worldwide. These figures have increased by around 84% since 1990.

Researcher Steven Blair studied the attributable fractions of deaths from all causes according to different risk factors, and argued as early as 2009 that “physical inactivity is one of the most important public health problems of the 21st century”. More recent evidence backs his statement up; physical activity needs to be a global public health priority.

An active lifestyle can help to prevent depression through both biological mechanisms (such as neurogenesis and reduced inflammation) and psychosocial ones (such as self-esteem and social support). However, any potential benefits are offset by the overall increase in insufficient levels of physical activity over recent decades.

This shift in lifestyles does not just increase the incidence of obesity, non-communicable diseases and premature mortality. It also contributes to environmental degradation, and burdens our economies through healthcare costs and productivity losses. Several factors are to blame, including rapid urbanisation, sedentary working patterns, and modern transport systems.

Progress towards the World Health Organization (WHO)‘s goal of a 15% relative reduction in insufficient levels of physical activity by 2030 has been slow. If current trends continue, we will not reach the proposed target.

According to the WHO’s report on the global state of physical activity in 2022, which gathered data from 166 countries, fewer than one third of national governments had guidelines for all age groups, and only around 40% had road design standards which accounted for pedestrians. Promoting physical activity among the general population remains a challenge.

Daily step counting: a preventative strategy

Counting daily steps is a simple, intuitive and objective way to get people active – studies have found that step counts can help people to meet recommended levels of physical activity. Fortunately, it is becoming increasingly easy to keep track of this thanks to wearable devices like fitness trackers and smart watches.

The use of trackers that allow for continuous self-monitoring and the incorporation of simple goals have shown a beneficial effect on increasing daily steps among adults.

The link between step count and depression

To determine the connection between step counts and depression, I, along with a team of other researchers from Spain and Latin America, recently conducted a scientific literature review. We synthesised the results of 33 studies, which covered a total of 96,173 adults of all ages.

We found that reaching 5,000 steps or more per day was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, and the prevalence of depression was 42% lower in adults who took 7,500 steps or more per day. In longitudinal studies of 2-7 years, which included people who did not have depression at baseline, increasing step counts by 1000 steps per day showed a 9% reduction in the risk of developing depression. Those who reached 7,000 steps or more each day had a 31% lower risk.

These findings confirm those of previous studies; even modest levels of physical activity can protect against depression.

Our results should also be considered in light of previous research on what kinds of physical activity are most best for preventing of depression – one recent study, for instance, found that other forms of physical activity like walking and yoga are just as effective.

Other characteristics of physical activity, such as intensity, as well as additional elements like environment, age and individual risk for mental disorders, can also influence depressive symptoms.

Counting daily steps can go a long way towards helping people get more physical activity, which in turn helps ward off depression, though there is a clear need for more longitudinal studies to clarify the protective role of daily step counts in preventing depression during adulthood.

However, if you have made it this far, our recommendation is that you stop reading and go out for a stroll.