Slow-walkers have a higher risk of getting COVID-19 infection

SLOW walkers are almost four times more likely to die from COVID-19, and more than double the risk of getting a severe version of the virus, according to a team of researchers from the National Institute for Leicester Biomedical Research Center for Health Research (NIHR) led by Professor Tom Yates at the University of Leicester.

A study of 412,596 Biobank UK middle-aged participants examined the relative association of body mass index (BMI) and self-reported walking speed with the risk of developing COVID-19 and COVID- death. 19.

The analysis found that slow-weighted walkers of normal weight were nearly 2.5 times more likely to develop COVID-19 and 3.75 times more likely to die from the virus than normal walkers of normal weight. (1)

Professor Yates, Principal Investigator for the study and Professor of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Health at the University of Leicester, said:

We already know that obesity and weakness are the main risk factors for COVID-19 results. This is the first study to show that slow-moving walkers have a much higher risk of experiencing COVID-19 side effects, regardless of weight.

With the pandemic putting unprecedented pressure on community and community care services, it is vital that individuals at risk are identified and protective measures taken to protect them. “

One other key finding from this research was that slow walkers with normal weight are at greater risk for both COVID-19 and COVID-19 mortality than fast walkers with obesity. In addition, normal weight slow walkers and obese slow walkers had a high risk.

Professor Yates continued:

“Fast walkers have been shown to generally have good cardiovascular and heart health, making them more resistant to external stressors, including viral infection but this idea has not been established for disease. contagious.

“While routine large database studies have reported an association of obesity and sensitivity to COVID-19 results, there is no data in routine clinical databases on physical activity or fitness measures.

“My view is that public health research and research studies should consider the introduction of simple measures of physical well-being such as self-reported walking speed as well as BMI, as potential risk predictors of COVID-19 outcomes that may ultimately enable better prevention methods. save a life. “

The study ‘Obesity, walking speed and risk of COVID-19 infection and mortality: an analysis of UK Biobank’ was published on 26 February 2021 in the International Journal of Employment. The analysis was limited to England and results were evaluated during the first wave of the pandemic.