Associations of Step Counts and Peak Step Cadence With DXA-Derived Total Body, Abdominal, and Visceral Fat in Older...

To investigate the associations between step counts (step volume; steps/day) and peak step cadence (step intensity; steps/min) with total body fat, abdominal fat, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in community-dwelling older adults.

Cross-sectional study.

Community-based setting.

A total of 158 older adults (N=158) (mean age, 66.2±4.5y) were included. All participants wore an accelerometer and completed body composition assessment using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.

Not applicable.

Steps/day and 30-minute peak cadence were measured by hip-worn accelerometer for 1 week. Total body fat, abdominal fat, and VAT were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Generalized linear models were used for data analyses with adjustments for known cardiovascular risk factors.

Each additional 1000 steps/day was associated with lower values of total body fat (β=-575 g, P=.006), abdominal fat (β=-55 g, P=.038), and VAT mass (β=-47 g, P=.016) and volume (β=-50 cm³, P=.016). Each additional 10 steps/min in peak 30-minute cadence was associated with lower values of total body fat (β=-864 g, P=.002), abdominal fat (β=-93 g, P=.008), and VAT mass (β=-78 g, P=.002) and volume (β=-83 cm³, P=.002). All associations persisted after adjusting for body mass index (P<.05).

Both step volume and intensity were inversely associated with obesity-related markers in older adults. Our findings suggest that walking more or faster may be associated with lower obesity-related markers in community-dwelling older adults.