Change in outdoor walking behavior during the coronavirus disease pandemic in Japan: A longitudinal study.
Shuichi P Obuchi, Hisashi Kawai, Manami Ejiri and 2 others
PMID 33990001WHAT IT FOUND
During Japan's state of emergency, outdoor steps dropped by about 1000 per day, but walking speed and step length slightly increased.
The speed change was too small to be clinically significant, suggesting people walked faster to compensate for less overall walking.
Key findings
01Outdoor step counts decreased by approximately 1000 steps in 2020 compared to 2019 during the state of emergency.
02Walking speed and step length increased significantly in 2020 compared to 2019 during the state of emergency.
03The observed increase in walking speed was smaller than the minimal detectable change, meaning it was not clinically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study only measured outdoor walking, so it missed any compensatory indoor walking or activity. Participants were smartphone users who consented to data sharing, likely biasing the sample toward health-conscious individuals. Housebound individuals were excluded because the app required GPS. The study lacked data on medical or social conditions that might influence walking parameters. The changes in walking speed were smaller than the measurement error threshold, limiting their clinical interpretation.
Declared interests
One author is an employee of Taiyo Life Insurance Company, which developed the smartphone application used in the study. However, the declaration states no funds were obtained from the company for this specific research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that pandemic restrictions preserved gait speed or that walking faster is a beneficial compensatory strategy. The increase in speed was not clinically significant, and the study only captured outdoor walkers, missing the potential decline in those who stayed indoors.