(Science Daily) — 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 U.S. and a key contributor to a person’s loss of independence.
Published in the February 23, 2021 online issue of JAMA Network Open, 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.
“Older adults who want to maintain their mobility should know that all movement, not just moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, counts,” said senior author Andrea LaCroix, PhD, MPH, Distinguished Professor and chief of the Division of Epidemiology at Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health. “We found that, among older women, light-intensity physical activity preserves mobility later in life.” (…)