Can One Hour of Daily Walking Decrease Early Death Risk?
New research finds that swapping just 1 hour of sitting each day with an hour of walking can decrease the chance of early death by as much as 12% to 14%.
For the study, investigators evaluated more than 200,000 middle-aged adults, using statistical modeling of health data from study subjects who participated in the 45 and Up Study, which took place over the course of 4 years. The authors determined that replacing 1 hour of time spent sitting in a day with standing resulted in a 5% decrease in early death. That number rose to 6% among participants who reported not getting enough sleep. Among participants who replaced 1 hour of walking or exercising with sitting or another sedentary behavior, however, the risk of early death increased to 13% to 17%.
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The authors note that study variables were analyzed through a self-administered questionnaire, which leaves room for bias and error, such as over-reporting of physical activity or under-reporting of sitting time, for instance. Still, the researchers say the results could aid in implementing a long-term vision for making physical activity “the easy and convenient option.”
One key message to emerge from the findings is to “keep promoting moderate-intensity physical activity—such as walking—to all patients,” says Adrian Bauman, sesquicentenary professor in the School of Public Health at Sydney University, and co-author of the study.
“This is a main finding, and still few family physicians promote physical activity. Yet almost all measure patient weight and ask about smoking status,” says Bauman, who is also co-director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity.
While primary care practitioners help patients start an exercise regime and develop a habit of purposeful exercise, “they should remind patients that every bit of activity they do, including standing or walking around instead of sitting down, has benefits to their health,” adds Josephine Chau, PhD, MPH, research fellow in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, and study co-author.
“So while patients build up their ability to do sustained periods of moderate-to-vigorous activity that makes them huff and puff, they should also look for and take advantage of opportunities to add small bites of lighter intensity activity into their daily lifestyle,” continues Chau. “Small things like standing up during TV commercial breaks, or getting off the bus one stop earlier [to] walk a little bit further to your destination, or standing up to talk on the phone or walking around when using our mobile, can all add up to health gains.”
—Mark McGraw
Reference
Stamatakis E, Rogers K, et al. All-cause mortality effects of replacing sedentary time with physical activity and sleeping using an isotemporal substitution model: a prospective study of 201,129 mid-aged and older adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2015.