Step-Count Guidelines for Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Sports Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Current literature lacks a definitive step-count cutoff for children and adolescents (5-19 years).
• Existing guidelines vary significantly, necessitating a systematic review to identify the most optimal recommendation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and identify the most optimal daily step-count cutoff for children and adolescents (5-19 years).
• To evaluate the quality of existing step-count guidelines and determine their methodological rigor.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review was conducted using databases: PubMed, SportDiscus, Science Direct, Web of Science, and LILACS.
• Studies were classified as Health or Physical Activity (PA) Cohort studies based on reference standards.
• Study quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 instrument.

Main Results:

• Six Health and 3 PA Cohort studies were included. Most studies exhibited a high risk of methodological bias.
• Health Cohort guidelines ranged from 10,000 to 16,000 steps/day; PA Cohort guidelines ranged from 9,000 to 14,000 steps/day.
• One PA Cohort study, with the lowest bias, suggested 12,000 steps/day for all youth.

Conclusions:

• Physical Activity Cohort studies presented lower methodological bias compared to Health Cohort studies.
• The optimal youth step-count guideline of 12,000 steps/day was endorsed based on reduced bias.
• This finding provides a reliable benchmark for promoting physical activity in children and adolescents.