Daily steps in midlife and older adults: Relationship with demographic, self-rated health, and self-reported physical activity

The relationship between average daily step counts and age, body mass index (BMI), self-reported physical activity (PA) level, and perceived health was determined in 85 middle-aged and older adults who wore a pedometer for 7 consecutive days. Average daily steps were significantly (p <.05) correlated with BMI (r = -.26), age (r = -.44) and perceived health (r =.53) but not with self-reported PA level (r = 19). The adjusted percentage of participants classified as meeting the PA recommendation in < 5, 000, 5, 001—9, 999, and ≥ 10, 000 steps/day categories ranged from 53 to 61%. These findings support previous evidence in younger populations suggesting that the recommended minimal level of health-related PA may be achieved despite not accumulating 10, 000 steps/day.