PITTSBURGH, May 2 (UPI) -- The ability for the elderly to walk about a quarter mile is an important indicator of whether they will be alive six years later, says U.S. study.
"The ability to complete this walk was a powerful predictor of health outcomes," said lead author Dr. Anne B. Newman of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
"In fact, we found that the people who could not complete the walk were at an extremely high risk of later disability and death."
Newman, collaborating with researchers at five other institutions, asked a group of almost 2,700 community-dwelling white and African-American men and women age 70 to 79 to complete, as quickly as they could -- without running -- 10 40-meter laps in a corridor. Those participants who qualified for the quarter-mile walk were told to stop if they experienced any signs of fatigue or persistent rapid heart rate.
Of the 2,680 elderly people eligible for the test, 2,324, or 86 percent, completed the full 400 meters, according to the study published in Journal of the American Medical Association.
Among those excluded from or who stopped the walk, death rates were significantly higher six years later than those who completed the walk.
