The Effect of a Walking Program on Physical Health in Older Adults

규칙적인 걷기운동이 노인의 신체적 건강에 미치는 효과

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a walking program on body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose in community-dwelling older adults. Method: A quasi-experimental research design (one group pretest-posttest) was employed. Participants were recruited in Seoul and a total of 57 community-dwelling older adults completed the 10-week walking program. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were used in the data analysis by SPSS WIN 14.0. Result: The participants showed lower BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol level, and blood glucose level after than before participation in the walking program. Body mass index significantly decreased (t= 2.911, p= .005) after completing the walking program. There were, however, no significant changes in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose after completing the walking program. Conclusion: Findings of this study indicated that the 10-week walking program had favorable effect on BMI. Future research needs to target various older adult groups during a long-term period.