The impact of unsupervised regular walking on health: A sample of Turkish middle-aged and older adults

Abstract

Regular walking is one of the most recommended and popular physical activity worldwide. This study (1) detected the effects of unsupervised regular walking on physical and cognitive functioning, emotional status, and quality of life in middle-aged and older adults and (2) compared the results with inactive controls. Forty middle-aged and older adults with a mean age of 56.30 ± 4.85 years (range 40-70) walking for at least 1 year, at least three times a week, and at least 45 min a day and 40 inactive participants with a mean age of 55.15 ± 5.64 years (range 40-70) participated. Before testing, sociodemographics of the participants were recorded. Body mass index and waist-hip ratio were calculated. The two groups were evaluated and compared in terms of physical functioning (handgrip strength, balance performance, cardio-vascular endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance and coordination), cognitive functioning (Mini Mental Test), emotional status (Beck Depression Inventory), and health related quality of life (CDC HRQOL- 4). The results obtained from this study showed that there were significant differences in terms of all outcome measurements between the groups (p < 0.05). The regular walking group had better scores in most parameters than the inactive controls. The results indicate that unsupervised regular walking improves health and is also a safe, cheap, and can easily be adapted into daily life. Therefore, it can be recommended to improve physical and cognitive functioning, emotional status, and quality of life of middle-aged and older adults. © 2011 European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity (EGREPA).