Researchers find light activities may help women's mobility during ageing

Feb 25, 2021

New Delhi, Feb 25 (ANI): While low-intensity workout is recommended to people of all ages to maintain agility and fitness, the findings of new research suggested that light-intensity physical activity, including shopping or a casual walk, may protect mobility in older women. The research published in the online issue of 'JAMA Network Open', was led by a team of scientists from Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Sciences at UC San Diego. One in four women over age 65 is unable to walk two blocks or climb a flight of stairs. Known as mobility disability, it is the leading type of incapacity in the United States and a key contributor to a person's loss of independence. Researchers found that women who did not have a mobility disability at the start of the study, and who spent the most amount of time doing light-intensity activities, were 40 percent less likely to experience loss of mobility over a six-year period. Researchers found that women who spent the most time performing light-intensity physical activity had a 46 percent lower risk of mobility loss compared to women who participated in lower levels of physical activity.