A study recently published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology shows that cardiovascular health is affected not only by the total amount of physical activity, but also by how often you move during the day. Among the oldest participants, the study found that several short walks per day had a protective effect, regardless of pace. This correlation remained even when adjusted for total walking time.
Caroline Lager, PhD student at the Division of Physiotherapy, NVS and first author of the study and Anna-Karin Welmer, docent at the Division of Physiotherapy, NVS. Photo: Private/Ulf Sirborn.
“While we know that structured exercise provides clear health benefits, many older adults face obstacles such as fatigue, reduced mobility, and chronic diseases-making it difficult to carry out. Therefore, integrating exercise into everyday routines may be a more realistic and inclusive option. Our results provide new insights into how regular, everyday activity can promote healthy aging and lay the groundwork for more personalized public health advice for older adults”, says Anna-Karin Welmer , docent at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society and co-author of the study.
How the study was conducted
We know that physical activity is good for the heart – but does it matter how we move? The study followed older adults with good functional ability for eight years to examine how different movement patterns affect the risk of cardiovascular disease, and whether the effects differ between different age groups.
The study is based on data from 423 participants without cardiovascular disease at the start of the study, within the Swedish SNAC-K study. Physical activity was measured with an accelerometer during the period 2016-2019, and information on fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease during the follow-up was obtained from national registers. The associations between different activity patterns were analyzed -such as number of steps per day, number of times standing up from a seated position, time spent in light (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity, and number of walking sessions of varying intensity-and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
During an average follow-up period of 5.6 years, 125 people (30%) suffered at least one cardiovascular event. In the entire group, the risk decreased by 10% for every ten additional walking sessions in MVPA per day. Among the oldest participants, the risk decreased by 39% for every 100 additional walking sessions in LPA, and by 13% for every ten additional walking sessions in MVPA. No clear associations were seen among younger older adults.
Next step
Further exploration of the relationship between physical activity patterns and various health outcomes among older adults is planned. Additionally, interviews with older adults will be conducted to explore their perceptions of the factors influencing their physical activity and sedentary behavior in everyday life.
Collaboration and funding
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society (NVS) at Karolinska Institutet and with researchers in Barcelona, Spain.
Data collection of the Swedish National study on Aging and Care (SNAC-K) was supported by the Swedish Research Council; the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs; the participating County Councils and Municipalities. Additionally, this study received funding from The Mälardalen area Doctoral School in Health Care Science, The Swedish Research Council and the Strategic Research Area Health Care Science (SFO-V) at Karolinska Institutet.
Publication
Associations Between Device-Measured Physical Activity Patterns and 8-Year Incidence of Cardiovascular Events in Well-Functioning Older Adults: Variations by Age.
Lager C, Rizzuto D, Ars J, Boström AM, Calderón-Larrañaga A, Welmer AK
Eur J Prev Cardiol 2025 Jul;():
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