Stepping toward Better Health: A Scoping Review of Nordic Walking Benefits

Sedentary behaviors are becoming more common in the community, necessitating initiatives to increase physical activity levels. In recent years, Nordic walking (NW), a novel walking technique that uses poles to help with traction, has gained a lot of popularity. Despite the many articles published, numerous details remain unknown. The objectives of this study were to provide an overview of the existing understanding of the numerous health benefits of NW for an array of age groups and disorders, as well as to offer ideas for further research that could be beneficial to the Indian community. A thorough literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Free full-text articles in English, published from 2013 to December 2023, were identified using keywords and MeSH terms. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed based on the PICO format. The search results were then screened to identify the relevant articles for this scoping review. A total of 36 studies were identified, of which ten studies published from 2013 to 2023 were included in the review. The majority of the study participants were middle-aged and older clinical individuals, with three studies including nonclinical individuals. The intervention was generally given three times each week for at least 2 weeks. The primary benefits of NW were physical and psychological, with a focus on improving physical fitness, circulatory, respiratory, and overall quality of life. All trials revealed at least one beneficial advantage to NW in comparison to the control group. NW has several advantages for individuals’ physical and mental health, regardless of whether they are experiencing any clinical symptoms.