Female gender, ethnic minorities, lower education level, higher BMI, smoking, alcohol abstainers, weekends and colder season were independently associated with
lower daily step count.
The relationship between depressive symptoms and
step count has only been assessed in specific populations with small sample sizes, such as
low - socioeconomic status Latino immigrants, 16 elderly Japanese people17 or patients with chronic conditions such as heart failure18 19 or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.20 21 Studies yield contradictory results, with some observing no association between depressive symptoms and
daily step count, 19 21 while others report a negative correlation.16 — 18 20 In one cross-sectional sample of healthy older adults, an inverse association between depressive symptoms (using the Goldberg Depression Scale - 15) and accelerometer measured
daily step count disappeared after controlling for general health and disability.22 While a systematic review suggests reduced levels of objectively measured PA in patients with depression, 23 it is not known whether this association is present in those at high risk of CVD and taken into account important confounding such as gender and age.