Nashville, 29 July 2025 – A new long-term study has found that walking briskly for just 15 minutes a day is associated with a nearly 20% reduction in the risk of death from all causes, with especially strong benefits seen across racially and socioeconomically diverse U.S. populations. Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the research analyzed walking habits and mortality data from nearly 80,000 adults aged 40 to 79 in the Southern Community Cohort Study, tracking outcomes over nearly 17 years.
While slow walking showed only minor benefits, brisk walking—even in short bouts—was clearly linked to lower overall mortality, particularly from cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and ischemic heart disease. The protective effect of brisk walking was consistent across subgroups, and especially marked among people with chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
Because participants were largely from underserved communities, researchers say the findings underscore the potential of a simple, accessible activity to improve health equity and longevity. They suggest that investing in safe walking environments and promoting even small increases in brisk physical activity could yield major public health returns.