Health Benefits of Increased Walking for Sedentary, Generally Healthy Older Adults: Using Longitudinal Data to Approximate an Intervention Trial

Background. Older adults are often advised to walk more, but randomized trials have not conclusively established the benefits of walking in this age group. Typical analyses based on observational data may have biased results. Here, we propose a “limited-bias,” more interpretable estimate of the heal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2010-09, Vol.65A (9), p.982-989
Main Authors: Diehr, Paula, Hirsch, Calvin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
ADL
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bias
Clinical trials
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Exercise
Female
Gerontology
Health Status
Health Surveys
Heart
Humans
Journal of Gerontology: MEDICAL SCIENCES
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Older people
Personal health
Regression Analysis
Sedentary Lifestyle
Selection bias
Self-rated health
Studies
Walking
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Summary:Background. Older adults are often advised to walk more, but randomized trials have not conclusively established the benefits of walking in this age group. Typical analyses based on observational data may have biased results. Here, we propose a “limited-bias,” more interpretable estimate of the health benefits to sedentary healthy older adults of walking more, using longitudinal data from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Methods. The number of city blocks walked per week, collected annually, was classified as sedentary (
ISSN:1079-5006
1758-535X
DOI:10.1093/gerona/glq070