Three-Year Changes in Physical Activity and Subsequent Loss of Ability to Walk 400 m in Older Adults: The InCHIANTI Study.
David Martinez-Gomez, Stefania Bandinelli, Vieri Del-Panta and 3 others
PMID 29470229WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults who stayed or became more active over 3 years were less likely to later be unable to complete a 400 m walk.
The paper reports a link, not proof that activity prevents mobility loss.
Key findings
01Each 1-category increase in cumulative physical activity was associated with an odds ratio of 0.63 for incident mobility disability.
02Being mostly inactive was associated with an odds ratio of 2.21 for incident mobility disability compared with the most active participants.
03Each 1-category increase in change in physical activity was associated with an odds ratio of 0.56 for incident mobility disability.
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 was observational, so it shows an association between physical activity and later mobility disability, not that physical activity caused the lower odds. Physical activity was self-reported by questionnaire, and the authors state that the findings must be interpreted with caution. The analytic sample was smaller than the total study sample because 484 participants had usable data at the 3-year visit and 63 lacked later walk-test information, leaving 421 analysed; the authors note that the relatively small sample affects statistical power. Mobility disability was not based only on a failed walk; it also used self-reported difficulty, balance testing, and other performance criteria. No intervention was tested, so the paper cannot show what a therapist-led activity programme would achieve.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied publication types include NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that telling patients to increase activity will prevent loss of the 400 m walk. The study was observational, activity was self-reported, and it did not randomise participants to an activity programme. The separate increased-activity group had an odds ratio of 0.72 (95% CI 0.34 to 1.52).