This review examines the appropriate number of steps per day for older adults and special populations (those with disabilities or chronic illnesses that may limit mobility or endurance). Step-counting devices like pedometers and accelerometers can help monitor daily ambulatory activity, but there is no clear consensus on how many steps per day are needed to meet public health guidelines. Normative data indicate that healthy older adults take 2,000-9,000 steps/day, while special populations take 1,200-8,800 steps/day. Pedometer-based interventions in these groups have shown an average increase of 775 steps/day (effect size 0.26) for older adults and 2,215 steps/day (effect size 0.67) for special populations. However, there is no evidence to determine a moderate intensity cadence for older adults. Using an adult cadence of 100 steps/minute, a heuristic value of 3,000 steps/day is suggested, though this may be unattainable for some frail or diseased populations. To truly translate public health guidelines, these steps should be taken in addition to daily activities, be of at least moderate intensity accumulated in 10-minute bouts, and add up to at least 150 minutes per week. Considering a daily background of 5,000 steps/day, a computed translation approximates 8,000 steps/day on days with a target of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and approximately 7,100 steps/day if averaged over a week. Measured directly, evidence suggests that 30 minutes of daily MVPA is equivalent to 7,000-10,000 steps/day for healthy older adults. Those with disabilities or chronic illness display lower levels of background activity, affecting whole-day estimates of recommended physical activity. The review also discusses interventions, controlled studies, and direct studies of step equivalents of physical activity guidelines, highlighting the importance of considering individual variability and the need for future research to refine step-based translations of public health guidelines for older adults and special populations.This review examines the appropriate number of steps per day for older adults and special populations (those with disabilities or chronic illnesses that may limit mobility or endurance). Step-counting devices like pedometers and accelerometers can help monitor daily ambulatory activity, but there is no clear consensus on how many steps per day are needed to meet public health guidelines. Normative data indicate that healthy older adults take 2,000-9,000 steps/day, while special populations take 1,200-8,800 steps/day. Pedometer-based interventions in these groups have shown an average increase of 775 steps/day (effect size 0.26) for older adults and 2,215 steps/day (effect size 0.67) for special populations. However, there is no evidence to determine a moderate intensity cadence for older adults. Using an adult cadence of 100 steps/minute, a heuristic value of 3,000 steps/day is suggested, though this may be unattainable for some frail or diseased populations. To truly translate public health guidelines, these steps should be taken in addition to daily activities, be of at least moderate intensity accumulated in 10-minute bouts, and add up to at least 150 minutes per week. Considering a daily background of 5,000 steps/day, a computed translation approximates 8,000 steps/day on days with a target of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and approximately 7,100 steps/day if averaged over a week. Measured directly, evidence suggests that 30 minutes of daily MVPA is equivalent to 7,000-10,000 steps/day for healthy older adults. Those with disabilities or chronic illness display lower levels of background activity, affecting whole-day estimates of recommended physical activity. The review also discusses interventions, controlled studies, and direct studies of step equivalents of physical activity guidelines, highlighting the importance of considering individual variability and the need for future research to refine step-based translations of public health guidelines for older adults and special populations.