‘Billion steps’ ahead of schedule: Abu Dhabi Public Health Center hits target in 6 weeks – News

The idea is to encourage individuals to collectively walk 1 billion steps before the world’s largest physical activity and wellness conference wraps up

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The Abu Dhabi Public Health Center (ADPHC) has revealed that its ‘Billion Steps Challenge’ has surpassed its ambitious target, with more than 8,000 people taking part in the program in 6 weeks.

In partnership with the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Community Development, Abu Dhabi Sports, Culture and Tourism, and fitness app STEPPI, the challenge attracted over 8,000 participants from the UAE community and abroad.

A total of 1,017,329,987 steps were logged, covering 622,313 kilometers – the equivalent of walking nearly 14 laps around the world while burning 83,440,256 calories.

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It also recorded figures that exceeded the average daily step count of STEPPI users, with an average of 9,670 steps per user per day compared to 6,494 steps outside the challenge. It also found that people are more active, with users spending an average of 50 minutes per day instead of 42 minutes.

Matar Al Nuaimi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Center for Public Health said:

“Achieving a goal of 1 billion steps in just six weeks is an amazing achievement and I would like to thank everyone who took part in this challenge. Initiatives like this are great for raising awareness of the importance of physical activity and its benefits for your well-being Awareness of the positive impact that can be had is critical and we are incredibly proud of its success.

The challenge, which began on September 15, is one of ADPHC’s initiatives for the International Association for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) Congress, which will be held October 23-26.

People from the UAE participated in the challenge, including academics, practitioners, thought leaders and policy makers, along with visitors to local, regional and international conferences.

The idea is to encourage individuals to collectively take a billion steps at the end of the world’s largest physical event and wellness conference – making them more active. It is also part of ADPHC’s ongoing efforts to promote physical activity and is fully in line with government efforts to promote healthier lifestyles.