More purposeful walking linked to lower fall risk in UK adults
The next-highest purposeful walking group had a hazard ratio of 0.75 versus the lowest group, indicating lower relative fall risk over time.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 94,422 UK Biobank adults, against the lowest purposeful walking group
- What changed:
- Fall risk was lower in the next-highest purposeful walking group than the lowest group (hazard ratio 0.75)
- The catch:
- Health differences between walking groups could explain some of the lower fall risk
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Among 94,422 UK Biobank participants aged 42–78, more purposeful walking was linked to lower fall risk in a population-based cohort study. The median follow-up was 6.87 years. The researchers defined purposeful walking as at least 40 steps per minute and incidental walking as fewer than 40.
Participants were grouped into four purposeful walking categories. Compared with those taking 3,999 or fewer purposeful steps daily, all three higher groups had lower risks of a fall during follow-up. The analysis accounted for demographic, lifestyle and clinical factors. Higher purposeful step counts were also associated with fewer falls overall and lower hip fracture risk.
Why it matters
Fall prevention is a concern as people age. These findings may help inform future step-based recommendations for preventing falls.
Caveats
People who walked more purposefully may also have differed in health or other ways that the statistical adjustments did not fully capture. Adults older than 78 were not represented.
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