Seasonal changes in daily steps of community-dwelling older individuals with and without lifestyle-related diseases: a retrospective cohort study.
Akihito Kubota, Toyohiro Hamaguchi
PMID 38694007WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with lifestyle-related diseases took significantly fewer steps than healthy peers, especially in winter.
Those with diseases averaged 5,563 steps (females) and 5,768 steps (males) over six months, falling short of national targets. Seasonal drops were most pronounced in December for women with disease.
Key findings
01Females with lifestyle-related diseases took significantly fewer steps than healthy females in November and December.
02Males with lifestyle-related diseases took fewer steps than healthy males at all time points.
03Average daily steps for females with disease were 5,563 and for males with disease were 5,768 over the six-month period.
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 did not assess depression or cognitive function, which influence physical activity. Participants were recruited via town publicity and may have been more health-conscious than the general population (selection bias). Employment status was not recorded, which could affect daily step counts. Results are specific to the climate and culture of Yorii Town, Japan, and may not generalize to other regions.
Declared interests
The study was funded by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the observed seasonal drop in steps for diseased females is solely due to weather. The study did not control for depression or cognitive function, which also affect activity levels. Additionally, this is observational data; it shows an association between disease status and lower steps, not that disease causes the reduction.