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Updated: Mar 1, 2026
Using a Real-Time Locating System to Measure Walking Activity Associated with Wandering Behaviors Among Institutionalized Older Adults
Published on: February 8, 2019
The Association between Daily Walking Behavior and Self-Reported Physical Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
B Bogen1, M K Aaslund, A H Ranhoff
1Bård Bogen, University of Bergen, Postbox 7804, N-5018 Bergen, Norway, E-mail: bard.bogen@uib.no, Telephone: +4791157142.
Abstract:
Many older people do not participate in organized exercise, and daily walking may be the most substantial contributor to physical activity. To investigate the association between daily walking behavior and self-reported health-related physical function, older community-dwelling volunteers wore activity-registering sensors for three days. Self-reported health-related physical functioning was measured using the SF36 10-item Physical Function subscale. Forty-six participants wore a sensor (mean age 77.6, SD 3.6, 61 % women). In a multiple regression model, steps per day (B=.005, p≤.001) and walks per day (B=-.174, p=.010) were associated with the SF36-PF subscale. The association between physical functioning and walks per day was negative: Those who took many walks per day may have been walking more indoors. Health professionals are likely justified in advising older people to incorporate walking into daily life for health purposes. The cross-sectional design does not allow for inferences about causality.
