Walking faster key to survival among elderly

Washington, Jan 5 (IANS) A higher walking speed could be the key to older adults surviving for longer, a study suggests. Stephanie Studenski of the University of Pittsburgh in the US and her colleagues conducted a study to co-relate gait speed with survival in older adults.

The study analyzed nine studies between 1986 and 2000 using individual data from 34,485 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or above, reports the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Participants had an average age of 73.5 years, while 59.6 percent were women and 79.8 percent were white, according to a Pittsburgh statement.

Walking speed was calculated for each participant using distance in meters and time in seconds.

Researchers said slower walking speed indicated weak organ systems and higher energy cost of walking, thus indicating poor survival rate.

During the course of the study, there were 17,528 deaths. The overall five-year survival rate was 84.8 percent while the 10-year survival rate was 59.7 percent.

The researchers found that walking speed was associated with differences in the probability of survival at all ages in both sexes, but was especially notable after 75 years of age.

Prakash Sharma