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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Walk with Me Hybrid Virtual/In-Person Walking for Older Adults with Neurodegenerative Disease
Published on: June 16, 2023
Walking and metabolic syndrome in older adults
Scott Strath1, Ann Swartz, Sarah Parker
1University of Wisconsin, 2400 E. Hartford Ave., Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Background:
Little data exists describing the impact that walking has on metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a multicultural sample of older adults.
Methods:
Walking was measured via pedometer in 150 older adults from 4 different ethnic categories. Steps per day were classified as low (< 3100 steps/d) or high (> or = 3100 steps/d) for statistical analyses.
Results:
Occurrence of MetS was lower in the white (33%) versus non-white population (50%). Low steps/d were related to an increase in MetS for both white (OR = 96.8, 95% CI 12.3-764.6) and non-white individuals (OR = 4.5, 95% CI 1.8-11.3). Low steps/d also increased the odds for selected components of MetS in both the white and non-white groups.
Conclusion:
Low levels of walking increase the likelihood of having MetS in both white and nonwhite older adults. Efforts to increase walking in older adults may decrease the likelihood of developing this clustering of disease risk factors.
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