Associations Between Usual Walking Speed And Prevalence Of Hypertension In The Elderly

Purposes:The rise in the number of elderly hypertension patients in China has resulted in health problems and decreased quality of life,as well as mental and financial strains on society and families.In recent years,most studies have proved the relationship between walking speed and the incidence and mortality of hypertension in the elderly.However,few studies have paid attention to the relationship between walking speed and the prevalence of hypertension in the elderly of China.Therefore,the purpose of this study is to explore the association between usual walking speed and the prevalence of hypertension in the elderly of Shanghai community with different genders and ages,and to provide a research basis for the elderly to use usual walking speed as an auxiliary diagnosis and early detection of hypertension.Methods:This research is a cross-sectional study.1025 community elderly people were recruited in Yangpu District,Shanghai.The age,education,smoking,drinking,living,chronic diseases and physical activities of the elderly were investigated by using the‘Basic Situation of the Elderly Questionnaire’.The International Physical Activity Questionnaire(IPAQ)was used to evaluate the exercise risk of the elderly.For screening qualified participants to measure the following indicators:body composition(height,weight);blood pressure(systolic pressure,diastolic pressure);4 meters walking test(calculate its usual walking speed).Hypertension was defined as the mean value of two blood pressure tests≥140/90 mm Hg(systolic pressure/diastolic pressure)and those who had past medical history of hypertension and were taking antihypertensive drugs.Statistical analysis:1)Descriptive analysis.After classifying the usual walking speed from slow to fast according to three quantiles(T1-T3,T3 is the fastest;namely slow speed group,medium speed group,fast speed group),the independent sample T test and analysis of variance were used to compare the differences between groups of different genders,ages and habits.Compare the mean of usual walking speed between our study and other studies,and observe the percentage distribution of usual walking speed in different gender and age.2)Regression model analysis.Logistic regression model,classification linear regression model and two piecewise linear regression model were used to explore the association between usual walking speed and the prevalence of hypertension in the elderly with different gender and ages.Result:1007 elderly people were included in the final statistical analysis(average age:68.81±5.25,male 453,female 572).The study found that there were significant differences in the mean of usual walking speed between male and female in all ages between this study and multiple studies.Compared with the grand mean of usual walking speed in Meta-analysis,the mean of usual walking speed of female aged 60-69 and male and female aged 70-79 was different,while the mean of usual walking speed of male aged60-69 was not different.The percentile analysis showed that both male and female’s usual speed decreased with age,and the decline trend of female’s usual walking speed was greater than that of male.After adjusting for confounding factors such as BMI,education,chronic disease,smoking,drinking,TPA and living,the prevalence of hypertension in male aged70-79 decreased by 88%(OR:0.12,95%CI:0.02,0.74)for every 1m/s increase in usual walking speed.The risk of hypertension was reduced by 76%(OR:0.24,95%CI:0.09,0.66)for each increase of 1m/s in the medium speed group compared with the fast group.Compared with the slow group,the prevalence of hypertension was reduced by 65%(OR:0.35,95%CI:0.13,0.94)for each 1m/s increase in usual walking speed.In addition,after adjusting for confounding factors,in the subgroup analysis of BMI<24 kg/m~2 group,DBP≥80 mm Hg group and no chronic disease group,the prevalence of hypertension decreased by 63-89%for every 1 m/s increase in usual walking speed.Conclusions:The study found that the usual walking speed of the elderly decreased with age;the increase in usual walking speed of the elderly male aged 70–79 was significantly associated with the decrease in the prevalence of hypertension.The results of this study supplement the evidence for the relationship between usual walking speed and hypertension in the elderly with different genders and ages,and provide evidence for the elderly to use usual walking speed to assist in the diagnosis of hypertension.