Decline in daily step count persists after pandemic for U.S. adults. Based on new findings, people had not yet bounced back as of December 2021: U.S. adults were still taking around 700 fewer steps per day, compared to their pre-pandemic norm.

Researchers found that, on the whole, Americans' daily step count plummeted at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 -- an understandable decline that prior studies have charted.

However, based on the new findings, people had not yet bounced back as of December 2021: U.S. adults were still taking around 700 fewer steps per day, compared to their pre-pandemic norm.

"It was really surprising to see that kind of impact over a year-and-a-half into the pandemic," said senior researcher Dr. Evan Brittain, a heart disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn

Physical activity is key in staving off weight gain and keeping up cardiovascular fitness levels -- which, in turn, lowers the risk of developing serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/03/22/8411679421982/

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