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

That's all 330 million Currently, people all over the world are suffering from depression. complicated diagnosis and heterogeneity The effects of this situation mean that such numbers are only conservative estimates.

Depressive disorder is the main cause hindranceaffecting many aspects of a person's quality of life, including emotional well-being, social relationships, functional ability, and physical health. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent this disease from taking hold, and physical activity is one of them.

The risk of developing depression is influenced by a range of interrelated genetic, biological, psychological, environmental, social, and behavioral factors. Among them, the elements of unhealthy lifestyle are: Not getting enough regular physical activitymay play an important role in the deterioration of mental health.

Therefore, identifying these risks and encouraging a preventive attitude is important to reduce the prevalence of depression and improve people's overall quality of life.

we don't exercise enough

Physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, but globally, 81% of youth and 31% of adults Does not meet recommended guidelines.

At the same time, levels of physical activity are becoming increasingly inadequate in two-thirds of the world. This is 2019 contributed Worldwide, 830,000 people die and 16 million disability-adjusted life years are lost. These numbers have increased by approximately 84% since 1990.

Researcher Stephen Blair studied the attributable proportion of all-cause deaths according to different risk factors and argued as early as 2009 that:Lack of physical activity is one of the most important public health problems of the 21st century”More recent evidence supports his statement: Physical activity needs to be a global public health priority.

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

This lifestyle change not only increases the incidence of obesity, non-communicable diseases and premature death; It also contributes to environmental degradation and burdens the economy through medical costs and lost productivity. Several factors are responsible, including rapid urbanization, sedentary work patterns, and modern transportation systems.

progress towards World Health Organization (WHO) goals Progress has been slow towards the goal of reducing inadequate physical activity levels by 15% by 2030. If current trends continue, the proposed targets will not be reached.

According to the WHO report: Global physical activity status in 2022The study, which collected data from 166 countries, found that less than a third of governments have guidelines for all age groups, and around 40% have road design standards that take pedestrians into account. It was only. Promoting physical activity among the general population remains a challenge.

Daily step counting: a prevention strategy

Studies have shown that counting daily steps is a simple, intuitive and objective way to get people active. Step counts help people meet recommended levels of physical activity. Fortunately, this is becoming easier and easier to track. wearable Devices such as fitness trackers and smartwatches.

By using trackers, Continuous self-monitoring and Incorporate simple goals It has been shown to have a beneficial effect on increasing the number of steps taken per day in adults.

Relationship between number of steps and depression

To uncover the relationship between step count and depression, I recently conducted a study with a team of other researchers from Spain and Latin America. Review of scientific literature. We synthesized results from 33 studies involving a total of 96,173 adults of all ages.

Achieving more than 5,000 steps per day was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, with adults who took more than 7,500 steps per day having a 42% lower prevalence of depression. Longitudinal studies of 2 to 7 years in people who did not have depression at baseline showed that increasing the number of steps taken by 1000 steps per day was associated with a 9% reduction in the risk of developing depression. I did. Those who took 7,000 steps or more each day had a 31% lower risk.

These findings support the following: previous research;Moderate levels of physical activity can also protect against depression.

Our results should also take into account previous research on what types of physical activity are most effective in preventing depression. For example, in one recent study, Other forms of physical activity Walking and yoga are equally effective.

Other characteristics of physical activity: strengthplus additional elements such as environmentage and an individual's risk for psychiatric disorders may also influence symptoms of depression.

Counting daily steps can be of great help in increasing physical activity and, in turn, in preventing depression, but it is important to clarify the protective role of daily step count in preventing depression in adulthood. clearly requires more long-term research.

However, if you've read this far, I suggest you stop reading and go for a walk.