Abstract:
Objective To evaluate the impact of a 100-day walking activity on multiple physical health indicators among an occupational population, thereby providing a scientific basis for health management and the prevention and control of chronic diseases.
Methods A prospective study involving 534 occupational individuals who joined the “10 000 Steps a Day” initiative in 2024 from Xuhui District of Shanghai,was conducted. A 100-day walking compaign was launched. Physical health indicators, including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, fat mass, muscle mass, waist circumference, and hip circumference, were measured before and after the compaign. Paired t-tests and generalized linear models were performed using SPSS 23.0 software to assess the impact of average daily steps and exercise prescription completion rate on changes in health indicators. Linear regression modeling was conducted using R 4.4.3.
Results Significant improvements were observed for physical health indicators post-intervention: BMI decreased by (0.60±1.36) kg∙m-² (P<0.01), systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased by (3.29±16.65) mmHg (P<0.01), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased by (2.26±12.15) mmHg (P<0.01), fat mass decreased by (0.66±6.17) kg (P<0.05), and muscle mass increased by (1.52±11.83) kg (P<0.01). Multivariate analyses indicated that a high prescription completion rate (≥80%) was positively correlated with declined DBP (b=2.463, 95%CI: 0.28‒4.65). Linear regression further demonstrated a negative correlation between average daily steps and changes in both SBP (F=12.45, P=0.005) and DBP (F=14.67, P=0.001). A dose-response relationship indicated that for every increase of 8 049 daily steps (from 6 065 to 14 114 steps), SBP decreased by an additional 2.69 mmHg (95%CI: 1.19-4.19 mmHg), and DBP decreased by an additional 2.12 mmHg (95%CI: 1.03-3.21 mmHg).
Conclusion The 100-day walking activity effectively improved BMI, blood pressure, and muscle mass among occupational groups. An “optimal range” of 10 000‒12 999 steps per day was identified to gain the most significant health benefits, and individuals with high prescription adherence demonstrated pronounced improvements in DBP. Walking provides a simple, low-cost, and sustainable health intervention strategy for occupational populations.