The study of men and women, conducted by researchers at the School of Medicine, indicates that those who walked for exercise three or more times per week had a significantly smaller average annual decline in walking distance and speed than those who walked one to two times per week.

Approximately 20 percent of the elderly have. Research has shown that tends to worsen over time, but participation in regular physical rehabilitation programs that include supervised treadmill walking at least three times a week has been shown to improve walking performance and slow the progression of the disease. However, many patients with have difficulty attending a supervised exercise program because of cost or transportation problems.

Results of the Northwestern study suggest that unsupervised , such as that performed at home, also slows progression of. The researchers tested participants’ physical ability by measuring the distance they could walk in 6 minutes and by observing their ability to get up from a chair unassisted; how well they maintained balance in a standing position; and how fast they could walk over a short distance.

The researchers also asked participants how often they walked for exercise and how long each walking session lasted. Besides showing that self-directed walking for exercise at least three times a week slowed decline in ability to perform physical activities, the study found participants with the worst at the start of the study were most likely to benefit from a regular self-directed walking program. For more details visit