New research suggests that it is not only the amount of exercise that matters for cardiovascular health, but also how often people move throughout the day.
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that older adults who took multiple short walks daily benefited even when the pace was slow.
Importantly, the effect remained even after total walking time was taken into account.
Senior author Anna-Karin Welmer said: “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.
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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 ageing and lay the groundwork for more personalised public health advice for older adults.”
The findings are based on the long-running Swedish SNAC-K project, which tracks health and ageing.
In this analysis, 423 participants free from cardiovascular disease at the start of the study wore accelerometers between 2016 and 2019 to record movement patterns.
Data on heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events were then followed up through national health registers for an average of 5.6 years.
Researchers examined a range of activity markers, including step count, sit-to-stand movements, light activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA).
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Over the study period, 125 participants – about 30 per cent – experienced a cardiovascular event.
Across the whole group, every 10 extra walking sessions of moderate intensity reduced risk by 10%.
Among the very oldest, with a median age of 82, lighter activity also had a marked impact: the risk fell by 39% with every 100 additional short walking bouts and by 13% for every 10 extra sessions of MVPA.
No significant benefit was observed among the younger participants, whose median age was 66.
The researchers now plan to explore older people’s views on what helps or hinders their daily movement, with the aim of shaping practical advice for healthier ageing.
