1K Walk Test Can Predict Older Adult Fracture Risks
Gain training insights by offering older adults a walking fitness test.
Fit pros who work with older adults may screen clients for walking ability to develop insight into fracture risks and whether bone health should be prioritized during training. New research from Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, based on data from 238,969 adults aged 45 and older tracked over 15 years, shows that people with walking limitations at the study’s beginning were much more likely to experience bone fractures. “In this generally healthy community-based population, we still found one in five people had trouble walking a kilometer,” says lead study author Jacqueline Center, PhD, head of Garvan’s Clinical Studies and Epidemiology Lab. “Just a few simple questions about how far someone can walk could give doctors an early warning sign to check bone health.”
The research on bone fracture risks is reported in JAMA Network Open (2024; doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.52675).
See also: Having the Bone Health Talk With Clients
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
