Is achieving 7,000 steps/day associated with older adults’ lower-extremity performance? Cross-sectional and prospective findings from Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Evidence regarding the association between daily steps recommendation and older adults’ lower limb strength is lacking; thus, this study investigated whether taking at least 7,000 steps/day is cross-sectionally and prospectively related to lower-extremity performance in older Taiwanese adults. 89 community-dwelling adults aged over 60 years (mean age: 69.5 years) who attended both baseline and follow-up surveys. Methods: This study used adjusted logistic regression analysis to explore cross-sectional and prospective relationships between their accelerometer-assessed daily steps and lower-extremity performance (five-times-sit-to-stand test). Results: This study found the older adults who took 7,000 steps/day were more likely to have better lower-extremity performance cross-sectionally (odds ratio [OR] = 3.82; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04, 13.95; p = 0.04), as well as to maintain or increase their lower-extremity performance prospectively (OR=3.53; 95% CI: 1.05, 11.84; p = 0.04). Conclusions: Our findings support a minimum recommended level of step-based physical activity for older adults, namely, 7,000 steps/day, as beneficial for maintaining or increasing older adults’ lower-extremity performance.