2. Overview
For many older men and women, walking is the only daily form of physical
activity
For individuals older than 60, chronic Heart Failure (HF) is a major health
issue
Walking has been shown to reduce the risk for all cardiovascular diseases,
including HF
Faster walking is a more productive exercise for overall fitness, but the link
between velocity and risk of heart failure is not well studied
3. Intro
The aim of this study is to find a correlation between walking speed, walk
duration, and risk of Heart Failure
Walking raises heart rate, which when done regularly, lowers the risk of
cardiovascular disease
Walking faster raises heart rate higher, while walking for a longer duration
keeps the heart rate elevated longer
4. Literature Review
Several studies have shown that regular walking is sufficient exercise to lower
body mass, waist circumference, cholesterol, blood pressure, and many other
factors that can contribute to heart disease (Park 2014)(Davidson 2012)
Another study found that walking improves glycemic control in those with
diabetes, which is a common disease effecting many men and women older
than 60. Poor glycemic control has been found to correlate with a higher risk
for cardiovascular disease (Qui 2014)
5. Design
Question: Does walking speed and/or walking duration have an effect on the
risk of HF?
Participants filled out a questionnaire that asked about how leisure time was
spent, reporting speed and duration of walking as well as hours per week
spent walking
Sedentary, Light, Moderate, and High activity levels marked how vigorous an
individual exercised
Walking speed and duration were reported separately
Covariates such as smoking and excessive drinking were also part of the
survey, and many subjects were excluded from analysis to better analyze only
the effect of walking speed and duration
6. Methodology
18,974 participants total
8422 men, 9931 women after some were removed due to covariates
Those who answered “sedentary” in their surveys were used as the reference
on which all comparisons were made
Study took place over 30 years
Every adult in Copenhagen was sent a survey to fill out and send back
Instrumentation
Questionnaire only
7. Results
Any walking at all, regardless of duration or speed, was found to decrease the
risk of heart failure when compared to a sedentary lifestyle
Duration: risk of HF was correlated with duration only in women, and when
adjusted for other cofounders such as age and pre existing conditions, no
association was found at all
Speed: walking speed was found to be a very important factor in reducing risk
of heart failure. A direct dose-dependent response was evident, meaning that
the faster an individual walked, the lower the risk of HF
8. Conclusion
Any walking at all is an improvement on sitting down all day
To receive maximum cardiovascular benefit from walking, a vigorous pace
with the intent to raise heart is necessary
The faster you walk, the healthier you will be
