Just 7,000 Steps a Day Lowers Risk of Depression, Dementia, Mortality

People who walked more were less likely to die of any cause or contract a number of serious health outcomes, including depression and dementia, according to a new meta-analysis published by The Lancet Public Health.

The past decade “has seen a rapid advancement in the evidence surrounding step counts,” wrote Ding Ding, Ph.D., M.P.H., at the University of Sydney, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and colleagues. “[Studies] consistently found that higher daily step counts are associated with better health outcomes. However, most reviews focused on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease, leaving gaps in our understanding of the associations between step counts and other health outcomes, such as cancer and cognitive function.”

Ding and colleagues identified 57 studies published between January 2014 and February 2025 involving adults who used devices to assess their daily step counts. Results were correlated to participants’ health outcomes.

Compared with 2,000 steps per day, 7,000 steps per day was associated with a 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms and a 38% lower risk of dementia. In addition, the higher step count was also associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 37% lower risk of cancer mortality, a 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease incidence, and a 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers also found that even modest step counts of 4,000 steps per day were linked to better health compared with 2,000 steps per day.

The limitations of this meta-analysis included the small number of studies available for many outcomes, a lack of age-specific data, and the fact that most data were derived over several days, which might not align with long-term step counts recorded by consumer wearables over months or years.

“Although 10,000 steps per day—an unofficial target for decades without a clear evidence base—was associated with substantially lower risks for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease incidence, cancer mortality, dementia, and depressive symptoms than 7,000 steps per day, the incremental improvement … was small, and there was no statistical difference between 7,000 steps per day and a higher step count for all the other outcomes,” the researchers wrote. “Therefore, 7000 steps per day might be a more realistic and achievable recommendation.”

For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Higher Daily Step Counts Yield Fewer Depression Symptoms Among Adults.”

(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Ivan Rodriguez Alba)

---

Don't miss out! To learn about newly posted articles in Psychiatric News, please sign up here.

Follow Psychiatric News on X, LinkedIn and Instagram!

Air Pollution From Wildfires May Increase Mental Health–Related Emergency Visits

Exposure to fine particulate matter caused by wildfires is associated with a significant increase in mental health–related emergency department (ED) visits, particularly among children, racial and ethnic minority groups, and women, according to a study issued today in JAMA Network Open.

“In 2020, California had the most severe wildfire season on record, with over 70% of the population enduring unhealthy air quality for over 100 days,” wrote Youn Soo Jung, Ph.D., of Stanford University, and colleagues.

The researchers analyzed data on 86,609 ED visits at California hospitals by state residents presenting for mental health conditions between July and December 2020 (average age 38 years, 46% female). Exposure to wildfire-specific fine particulate matter was determined based on patients’ ZIP codes. The mean daily concentration of wildfire-specific fine particulate matter increased from 0.44 to 24.9 micrograms per cubic meter during the peak wildfire period in September.

Each increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter in wildfire-specific fine particulate matter was associated with an 8% increase in all-cause mental health ED visits, a 15% increase in ED visits related to depression, and a 29% increase in visits for bipolar disorder or manic episode up to seven days after exposure. There was also a 6% increase in anxiety-related ED visits up to four days after exposure.

Additional findings included:

• Women were more likely than men to visit the ED for depression or bipolar disorder/manic episodes after exposure to wildfire smoke.
• The risk of ED visits for all mental health conditions was 35% higher per 10-point increase in wildfire-specific fine particulate matter among children ages 14 and younger than adults.
• Among racial groups, non-Hispanic Black individuals had the highest risk of ED visits for bipolar/manic episodes following exposure, while Hispanic individuals had the highest risk of ED visits for depression.

The authors noted that stress from evacuations and property loss may also contribute to increased ED visits. But in sensitivity analyses, the authors found similar trends in ED visits in areas with and without evacuation orders. “Overall, our subgroup analysis emphasizes the importance of strategies to ensure equal protection from wildfire exposure across demographic groups,” they wrote.

For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Exploring the Mental Health Toll of the L.A. Wildfires” and the Psychiatric News Alert “Wildfire Smoke Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia.”

(Image: Getty Images/iStock/GomezDavid)

---

Advocacy Alert: Protect SAMHSA Funding

This week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced significant cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as part of the Trump Administration’s reorganization of HHS and broader initiative to reduce government spending. These actions will inevitably lead to cutting programs and services that many people with mental health and substance use disorders depend on. Please urge Congress to protect SAMHSA programs within the new reorganization and continue the successful bipartisan collaboration to address mental health, suicide prevention, and substance use care in our country.

Only 20% of Patients With Postpartum Depression, Anxiety Symptoms Receive Diagnosis, Study Finds

The probability of receiving a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder diagnosis is three times higher for White patients with symptoms than for Black patients with symptoms, according to a study published yesterday in Psychiatric Services. In addition, regardless of race, only 1 in 5 women received a diagnosis.

“Despite their high prevalence and disease burden, [postpartum mood and anxiety disorders] often remain underdiagnosed,” wrote Stephanie V. Hall, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues. “Low diagnosis rates contribute to even lower treatment rates and exacerbate poor outcomes. Untreated [postpartum mood and anxiety disorders] are associated with worse maternal and infant health outcomes.”

Hall and colleagues linked Medicaid claims data in Michigan with results from the Michigan Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (MI-PRAMS), an ongoing representative survey of childbearing people conducted at two to six months after childbirth. All participants gave birth between 2012 and 2015 and were continuously enrolled in Medicaid from nine months before delivery through three months after delivery.

Participants self-reported their postpartum mood and anxiety disorder symptoms using an adapted version of the two-item Patient Health Questionnaire. The questions asked how often the participants had little interest or pleasure in doing things since their babies were born and how often they felt down, depressed, or hopeless. Participants were considered to have screened positive for postpartum mood and anxiety disorder symptoms if they responded “often” or “always” to either question.

A total of 2,781 participants were included in the study, 542 (19.5%) of whom screened positive for postpartum mood or anxiety disorder symptoms. More White participants received a diagnosis for postpartum mood and anxiety disorder compared with Black participants (23.8% vs. 8.9%) in the weighted sample. No covariates were significantly associated with having a diagnosis among White participants. Among Black participants, however, more comorbid conditions (such as diabetes or hypertension) and life stressors were significantly associated with receiving a diagnosis for postpartum mood and anxiety disorder.

“Measuring the factors associated with underdiagnosis is a first step in improving [postpartum mood and anxiety disorder] detection and treatment,” the authors wrote. “Implementing culturally sensitive care, including strategies such as using nonstigmatizing language to describe mental health, ensuring that providers reflect patients’ identities, and fostering patient-provider relationships, may mitigate underdiagnosis.”

For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Addressing Maternal Mental Health: Progress, Challenges, and Potential Solutions.”

(Image: iStock/FatCamera)

---

Don't miss out! To learn about newly posted articles in Psychiatric News, please sign up here.

Follow Psychiatric News on Twitter!

Mood Disorders in Parents May Increase Risk of Anxiety Disorders in Offspring

Children who have a parent with a mood disorder appear to be at an elevated risk of a several anxiety disorders, suggests a report in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The findings, which were based on a meta-analysis of 35 studies, suggest that children may be particularly at risk for panic disorder.

“Although we know that there is an overall increased risk for anxiety disorder in general among offspring of parents with mood disorders, little is understood about the risks of specific anxiety disorders and whether the risks differ between parental mood disorder subtypes,” wrote lead author En-Nien Tu, M.D., of the University of Oxford and colleagues.

To begin to answer these risks, Tu and colleagues sought out peer-reviewed studies that examined the risk of anxiety in the offspring of parents with mood disorders (at-risk group) and the offspring of parents who did not have these conditions (control group). The researchers identified 35 studies that fit their criteria that were published between 1994 and January 2023. Of these, 13 were cross-sectional studies, three were baseline data from cohort studies, and 19 were cohort follow-up studies. The majority of the studies included children under the age of 19 and most of the study participants were White and from high-income Western countries, the authors noted.

Anxiety disorders in the analysis included seasonal affective disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, specific phobia, panic disorder, and agoraphobia.

Overall, 36.0% of children in the at-risk group experienced anxiety disorders during their lifetime, compared with 20.4% in the control group. Lifetime rates of anxiety disorders between the at-risk group vs. the control group were 20.4% vs. 10.0% for SAD, 14.5% vs. 7.16% for GAD, 15.6% vs 9.32% for social phobia, 20.2% vs. 12.1% for specific phobia, and 5.96% vs. 1.58% for panic disorder, and 4.17% vs. 4.40% for agoraphobia.

Compared with the control group, those who had parents with mood disorders were at 1.82 times higher risk of any anxiety disorder, except for agoraphobia; they also had more than a 3-fold greater risk of panic disorder compared with children who did not have a parent with a mood disorder.

When Tu and colleagues compared the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder with those of parents with unipolar depression, they found no significant difference between the risks of anxiety disorders across the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder versus unipolar depression.

The findings point to the importance of proactive prevention, early identification, and treatment strategies to reduce the risk of anxiety disorders in children of parents with mood disorders, the researchers noted. “An understanding of the mechanism underlying the increased rates of anxiety disorders in the offspring of parents with mood disorders may help identify important targets for intervention,” they wrote.

For related information, see the Psychiatric News Alert “One-Third of Teens Have Parent With Anxiety or Depression, Survey Suggests” and the Psychiatric News article “Childhood Anxiety Can Be Treated, the Challenge is to Recognize It.”

(Image: iStock/fizkes)

---

Nominations Open for APA Components and Board of Trustees

APA’s success hinges on the expertise, knowledge, and input of its members. Learn more about APA leadership opportunities and nominate yourself or a colleague by Tuesday, August 15, for component service and Friday, September 1, for the Board of Trustees.

LEARN MORE