Remaining mobile whilst in hospital is known to prevent functional decline and to reduce the likelihood of adverse events after being discharged, in older adults. However, the fact is that the majority of patients spend most of their time in bed.
This study aimed to test whether the previous research showing that taking 900 steps per day differentiates those who experience hospital-associated functional decline (HAFD), from those who do not.
On average 18.4 per cent of the patients walking 900 or more steps saw their condition worsen for reasons associated with being in hospital. Of those who took fewer steps, 55.4 per cent saw their condition worsen.
For the study, 177 patients aged 65 or more wore an accelerometer that measured their steps for up to three days prior to the implementation of a programme for promoting soft physical activity in hospitals, to test the benefits of walking about 500 metres per day.
From the study: “Mobility levels during hospitalisation are a central modifiable factor in preventing in-hospital functional decline and post-discharge adverse outcome in older adults.1 It is acknowledged that “more is better” in the case of mobility; however, most patients spend most of their time in bed.2 Recently, 900 steps per day were identified as normative for frail, community-dwelling older adults3 and for older adults hospitalised in internal medicine units.4 Although these previous studies comprised large samples, they did not link the normative data with functional outcomes. Our study aimed to test whether the proposed normative value of 900 steps differentiates those who do, from those who do not, experience hospitalisation-associated functional decline.”
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