Walking among older adults in Spain: Frequency and gender roles

Background: This study compared walking frequency and associated variables between older males and females living in Spain. Type of study: Cross-sectional analysis. Methods: Logistic regression was used to determine differences in various intensities and durations of walking. The sample consisted of 1,504 people over 60 years of both genders. Results: For low frequency of walking, there were no significant differences between males (68.2%) and females (68.4%). When the frequency increased to five days per week, the differences were significant: males (51.5%), females (43.5%). Level of education was found to be associated with the likelihood of walking: males (OR=1.9), females (OR=1.4) and perceived physical condition males (OR=3.0), females (OR=4.6). Conclusion: Overall, the probability of walking, at a faster pace with the purpose of maintaining or improving fitness, was the same for males and females. However, the males walked more frequently than the females. Moreover, females with low self-rated physical fitness levels were most unlikely to walk on a daily basis. Physical inactivity was associated with low levels of education, particularly among males. These data suggest that the older adult Spanish population is insufficiently active and that females and those with low levels of education were the least likely to walk on a daily basis.