Walking pace and the time between the onset of non-communicable diseases and mortality: a UK Biobank prospective cohort study.

Purpose

To estimate trajectories of time spent in various cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer states, according to self-reported walking pace.

Methods

391,744 UK Biobank participants were included (median age=57 years; 54.7% women). Data was collected 2006-2010, with follow-up data collected in 2021. Usual walking pace was self-defined as slow, steady/average or brisk. Multistate modelling was used to obtain the transition rate and mean sojourn time in and across three different states (healthy, CVD/cancer, death) upon a time horizon of 10 years.

Results

Those reporting an average or brisk walking pace at baseline displayed lower rates across all transitions (vs. slow walkers). The mean sojourn time in the healthy state was longer while that in the CVD/cancer state was shorter in individuals reporting an average or brisk walking pace (vs. slow). A 75-year-old woman reporting a brisk walking pace spent, on average, 8.4 years of the next 10 years in a healthy state; an additional 8.0 (95% CI: 7.3, 8.7) months longer compared to a 75-year-old woman reporting a slow walking pace. This corresponded to 4.3 (3.7, 4.9) fewer months living with CVD/ cancer. Similar results were seen in men.

Conclusions

Adults reporting an average or brisk walking pace at baseline displayed a lower transition to disease development and a greater proportion of life lived without CVD/cancer.

Availability of data and materials

Research was conducted using the UK Biobank Resource under Application #33266. The UK Biobank resource can be accessed by researchers on application. Variables derived for this study have been returned to the UK Biobank for future applicants to request. No additional data are available.