Premium
Brisk Walking Speed in Older Adults Who Walk for Exercise
Author(s) -
Parise Carol,
Sternfeld Barbara,
Samuels Steven,
Tager Ira B.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1046/j.0002-8614.2003.52114.x
Subject(s) - medicine , preferred walking speed , physical therapy , metabolic equivalent , physical activity , observational study , physical medicine and rehabilitation
Objectives: To determine the self‐selected exercise intensity of older adults who report that they walk briskly for exercise. An additional aim of the study was to assess the contribution of self‐reported physical activity to self‐selected exercise intensity. Design: Observational. Setting: Community walking path. Participants: Subjects consisted of 212 participants in the Study of Physical Performance and Age‐Related Changes in Sonomans who stated in a detailed home interview that they walked briskly for exercise. Measurements: Observed brisk walking speed was measured as the time it took participants to walk half a mile at “normal brisk walking speed.” Self‐reported physical activity was categorized as metabolic equivalent of the task (MET) in minutes of exercise reported in the previous 7 days. Physiological measures and body composition were obtained through laboratory evaluation. Results: Men walked at an average speed±standard deviation of 5.72±0.69 km/h and women walked at an average speed of 5.54±0.64 km/ h. Self‐reported physical activity was not associated with brisk walking speed when adjusted for age and ratio of lean to fat mass. Conclusion: This study found that older adults who report that they walk briskly for exercise do so at a pace considered moderate or greater in absolute intensity as indicated by their walking speed (4.83 km/h). Ninety‐eight percent of men (93/95) and 97% of women (113/117) hadanobservedwalking speed equivalent to 3 or more METs based on their calculated walking speed.