Instrumental activities of daily living and number of daily steps in frail older females.
Suguru Ando, Yumi Higuchi, Tomomi Kitagawa and 3 others
PMID 31645806WHAT IT FOUND
Frail older women who could prepare meals and do housework took significantly more daily steps than those who needed help.
Overall step counts were very low, averaging under 2,000 steps per day.
Key findings
01There was a significant moderate correlation between instrumental activities of daily living scores and the number of daily steps.
02Participants who were independent in meal preparation and housework had significantly higher daily step counts than those who were dependent.
03The average number of steps taken by participants was less than 2,000 steps per day.
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
Small sample size (n=27) limits generalizability. Cross-sectional design cannot determine causality; it is unclear if IADL dependence causes low steps or vice versa. Step counts may have been affected by seasonal fluctuations. Participants were all female, so findings do not apply to frail older males. All participants attended day-care centers, which may not represent home-bound or independent frail older adults.
Declared interests
None.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving IADL independence will automatically increase daily steps. The study is cross-sectional and only shows an association, not a causal link.