A major new study led by the University of Sydney suggests that walking 7000 steps a day offers similar health benefits across several outcomes as walking 10,000.

Led by Professor Melody Ding from the School of Public Health, the study was published in The Lancet Public Healthand analysed data from 57 studies from 2014 to 2025 that were conducted in more than ten countries including Australia, USA, UK and Japan.

The largest and most comprehensive review to date, the researchers examined the impact that different daily step counts have on the chance of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and developing diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia and depression. Professor Melody Ding says the findings offer a more achievable benchmark for people who struggle to meet traditional exercise guidelines.

“Aiming for 7000 steps is a realistic goal based on our findings, which assessed health outcomes in a range of areas that hadn’t been looked at before,” said Professor Ding.

“However, for those who cannot yet achieve 7000 steps a day, even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2000 to 4000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain.

“We know daily step count is linked to living longer, but we now also have evidence that walking at least 7000 steps a day can significantly improve eight major health outcomes — including reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and depressive symptoms.”

Health benefits at different step counts

The researchers looked at studies in which participants wore step counting devices, such as pedometers, accelerometers and fitness trackers, to track their daily step counts. Starting at 2000 steps, experts compared the health outcomes of people walking more steps a day at 1000 step increments to see whether there was any difference in the risk of early death or other major diseases.

When compared with 2000 steps a day, researchers found that:

• Walking 7000 steps a day reduced the risk of death by 47 percent, which was almost identical to the benefit seen at walking 10,000 steps per day.
• Dementia risk dropped by 38 percent from walking 7000 steps a day, with only a 7 percent extra reduction at 10,000 steps.
• Risk of type 2 diabetes fell by 22 percent from walking 10,000 steps a day and reduced to 27 percent at 12,000 steps.
• Significant health improvements were seen when people increased their average daily steps from 2000 to between 5000 and 7000 steps.

“For people who are already active, 10,000 steps a day is great,” said Dr Katherine Owen, co-author and chief analyst of the study from the School of Public Health. “But beyond 7000 steps, the extra benefits for most of the health outcomes we looked at were modest.”

The researchers are working with the Australian government to use the evidence from this study to inform future updates to physical activity guidelines.

“Our research helps to shift the focus from perfection to progress. Even small increases in daily movement can lead to meaningful health improvements,” said Professor Ding.

Experts are calling for future studies to explore how step goals should vary based on age, health status and region, and to include diverse populations and longer-term data to strengthen the evidence. Professor Ding says this kind of detail is rare and will be useful for health practitioners when tailoring advice for patients.

These events pose severe threats to marine ecosystems, often resulting in widespread coral bleaching and mass mortality events. They also carry serious economic consequences by disrupting fisheries and aquaculture. It’s widely understood that human-driven climate change is driving a rapid increase in the frequency and intensity of MHWs.

In 2023, regions across the globe, including the North Atlantic, Tropical Pacific, South Pacific, and North Pacific, experienced extreme MHWs. However, the causes underlying the onset, persistence, and intensification of widespread MHWs remain poorly understood.

To better understand the MHWs of 2023, Tianyun Dong and colleagues conducted a global analysis using combined satellite observations and ocean reanalysis data, including those from the ECCO2 (Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean-Phase II) high-resolution project.

According to the findings, MHWs of 2023 set new records for intensity, duration, and geographic extent, lasting four times the historical average and covering 96% of the global ocean surface. Regionally, the most intense warming occurred in the North Atlantic, Tropical Eastern Pacific, North Pacific, and Southwest Pacific, collectively accounting for 90% of the oceanic heating anomalies.

The researchers show that the North Atlantic MHW, which began as early as mid-2022, persisted for 525 days, while the Southwest Pacific event broke prior records with its vast spatial extent and prolonged duration. What’s more, in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, temperature anomalies peaked at 1.63 degrees Celsius during the onset of El Niño.

Using a mixed-layer heat budget analysis, the scientists discovered diverse regional drivers contributing to the formation and persistence of these events, including increased solar radiation due to reduced cloud cover, weakened winds, and ocean current anomalies. According to the researchers, the 2023 MHWs may mark a fundamental shift in ocean-atmosphere dynamics, potentially serving as an early warning of an approaching tipping point in Earth’s climate system.

Malaria remains a global health challenge, with 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths reported in 2023. Current vector control methods, such as long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), have become less effective due to insecticide resistance and behavioral adaptations in mosquitoes to bite outdoors and during dusk or dawn, when people are not protected by these measures. This underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions to combat malaria.

Ivermectin for malaria: A novel strategy

Ivermectin, a drug traditionally used to treat neglected tropical diseases like onchocerciasis, which causes river blindness, and lymphatic filariasis, which causes elephantiasis, has been shown to reduce malaria transmission by killing the mosquitoes that feed on treated individuals. Given the rising resistance to conventional insecticides, ivermectin could offer an effective new approach totackle malaria transmission, especially in regions where traditional methods have become less effective.

The Unitaid-funded BOHEMIA project(Broad One Health Endectocide-based Malaria Intervention in Africa) conducted two Mass Drug Administration (MDA) trials in the high-burden malaria regions: Kwale County (Kenya) and Mopeia district (Mozambique). The trials assessed the safety and efficacy of a single monthly dose of ivermectin (400 mcg/kg) given for three consecutive months at the start of the rainy season in reducing malaria transmission. In Kenya, the intervention targeted children aged 5-15, while in Mozambique it focused on children under five.

Malaria reduction in Kenya

In Kwale County, Kenya, children who received ivermectin experienced a 26% reduction in malaria infection incidence compared to those who received albendazole, the control drug used in the study. The trial involved over 20,000 participants and more than 56,000 treatments, demonstrating that ivermectin significantly reduced malaria infection rates — particularly among children living further from cluster borders or in areas where drug distribution was more efficient. Moreover, the safety profile of ivermectin was favorable, with no severe drug-related adverse events and only mild, transient side effects already seen with ivermectin in campaigns against neglected tropical diseases.

“We are thrilled with these results,” says Carlos Chaccour, co-principal investigator of the BOHEMIA project and ISGlobal researcher at the time of the study. “Ivermectin has shown great promise in reducing malaria transmission and could complement existing control measures. With continued research, ivermectin MDA could become an effective tool for malaria control and even contribute to elimination efforts,” Chaccour, who is now a researcher at the Navarra Centre for International Development at the University of Navarra, adds.

“These results align with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) criteria for new vector control tools,” states Joseph Mwangangi, from the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme. “The findings suggest that ivermectin MDA could be a valuable complementary strategy for malaria control, particularly in areas where mosquito resistance to insecticides is a growing concern,” adds Marta Maia, BOHEMIA’s lead entomologist from the University of Oxford.

Lessons from the Mozambique trial

In contrast, the implementation of the Mozambique trial in the rural district of Mopeia faced severe disruptions due to Cyclone Gombe (2022) and a subsequent cholera outbreak, which significantly disrupted operations. “One of the most important lessons we learned from the trial in Mopeia is that strong community engagement is essential,” states Francisco Saúte, director of the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM). “Building trust with local communities and fostering close collaboration with the Health Ministry, National Malaria Control Program, and local authorities was key to ensuring acceptance of the ivermectin MDA.”

Expanding the Impact Beyond Malaria

In addition to reducing malaria transmission, ivermectin MDA offers significant collateral benefits. The BOHEMIA team found an important reduction in the prevalence of skin infestations such as scabies and head lice in the ivermectin group in Mozambique, and the community reported a major reduction in bed bugs in Kenya. These effects are particularly valuable when ivermectin is integrated into existing delivery systems, maximizing its impact on public health.

Shaping the future of malaria prevention

The study is part of a larger global effort to assess ivermectin’s potential in malaria control. The findings have been reviewed by the WHO vector control advisory group, which concluded that the study had demonstrated impact and recommended further studies. Findings were also shared with national health authorities as they evaluate the potential inclusion of ivermectin in malaria control programs.

“This research has the potential to shape the future of malaria prevention, particularly in endemic areas where existing tools are failing,” concludes Regina Rabinovich, BOHEMIA PI and Director of ISGlobal’s Malaria Elimination Initiative. “With its novel mechanism of action and proven safety profile, ivermectin could offer a new approach using a well-known, safe drug that can add to the effect of other mosquito control tools available today.”