BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF WEEKLY WALKING ACTIVITY ON HYPERTENSIVE MEDIATED ORGAN DAMAGE IN THE COMMUNITY-DWELLING ELDERLY CHINESE: THE NORTHERN SHANGHAI STUDY

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of weekly walking activity on the asymptomatic hypertensive mediated organ damage (HMOD) remains unclear. Design and method: 2830 community-dwelling elderly subjects (over 65 years) in northern Shanghai were recruited from June 2014 to June 2018. Weekly walking activity was evaluated by standard questionnaire based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaires-short form (including walking duration per time and walking days per week). Within the framework of comprehensive cardiovascular examinations, HMOD, including left ventricular mass index (LVMI), peak transmitral pulsed Doppler velocity/early diastolic tissue Doppler velocity (E/Ea), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), arterial plaque, creatinine clearance rate (CCR), urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and ankle-brachial index (ABI), were all evaluated. Results: There were 1862 (65.8%) participants enrolled in weekly walking activity, with 56.8 ± 36.8 min/day and a median of 6.71 days/week walking. Young elderly, fewer smokers, lower CIMT, lower cf-PWV, fewer abnormal ABI, lower prevalence of hypertension and coronary heart disease were observed in walking activity group (P < 0.05). Similarly, Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that weekly walking activity was significantly correlated with elderly (age 70 years or more) and smoker (both P < 0.05). To further investigate the association of weekly walking activity with HMOD, logistic regression analysis was conducted. Interestingly, weekly walking activity was only significantly associated with peripheral artery diseases (P < 0.05), together with cardiovascular risk factors. Subsequently, subgroup analysis about weekly walking activity was performed and the results revealed that only walking duration more than 30 min per time was related to arterial plaque (OR: 1.048, 95% CI: 1.002–1.095, P = 0.038). Conclusions: Taken together, in the community-dwelling elderly Chinese, weekly walking activity played a protective role in HMOD, especially vascular HMOD, regardless of walking duration per time and walking days per week.