Br J Sports Med

Even a few active days a week can lower mortality, CVD risk in older women

October 24, 2025

Study details: This prospective cohort study followed 13,547 women (mean age, 71.8 years; free of CVD and cancer) who wore accelerometers for 7 days to assess how often they met daily step thresholds (≥4,000, ≥5,000, ≥6,000, or ≥7,000 steps/day). Participants were tracked for all-cause mortality and incident CVD over a median of 10.9 years, with analyses adjusted for lifestyle and comorbidities.

Results: Achieving ≥4,000 steps/day on just 1 to 2 days per week was associated with a 26% lower risk of mortality (hazard ratio [HR]; 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65–0.86) and a 27% lower risk of CVD (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.58–0.92) compared with 0 days/week. Meeting this threshold on ≥3 days/week further reduced mortality risk (HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.53–0.68). Higher step thresholds and more frequent achievement were associated with modestly greater risk reductions. Adjusting for mean daily steps attenuated these associations.

Clinical impact: Even modest, intermittent achievement of step goals (≥4,000 steps/day) confers significant reductions in mortality and CVD risk in older women. Greater step counts and more frequent achievement yield additional benefit, supporting step-based activity goals as a practical, flexible target for this population.

Source:

Hamaya R, et al. (2025, October 21). Br J Sports Med. Association between frequency of meeting daily step thresholds and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease in older women. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41120219/