Associations of step counts and peak step cadence with DXA-derived total body, abdominal, and visceral fat in older adults.

Abstract

To investigate the associations between step counts (step volume; steps per day) and peak step cadence (step intensity; steps per minute) with total body fat, abdominal fat, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in community-dwelling older adults. Cross-sectional study. Community-based setting. A total of 158 older adults (mean age 66.2 ± 4.5 years) were included. All participants wore an accelerometer and completed body composition assessment using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Not applicable. Steps per day and 30-min peak cadence were measured by hip-worn accelerometer for one week. Total body fat, abdominal fat, and VAT were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Generalized linear models were used for data analyses with adjustments for known cardiovascular risk factors. Each additional 1,000 steps per day was associated with lower values of total body fat (β = -575 g, p = 0.006), abdominal fat (β = -55 g, p = 0.038), and VAT mass (β = -47 g, p = 0.016) and volume (β = -50 cm³, p = 0.016). Each additional 10 steps per minute in peak 30-min cadence was associated with lower values of total body fat (β = -864 g, p = 0.002), abdominal fat (β = -93 g, p = 0.008), and VAT mass (β = -78 g, p=0.002) and volume (β = -83 cm³, p=0.002). All associations persisted after adjusting for body mass index (p < 0.05). Both step volume and intensity were inversely associated with obesity-related markers in older adults. Our findings suggest that walking more or faster may be associated with lower obesity-related markers in community-dwelling older adults.