Study: Walking Speed Could Indicate Risk Of Developing Severe COVID-19 Symptoms

LONDON (VINnews) — A new British epidemiological study claims that people’s walking speed is an indicator of their risk of developing severe symptoms of COVID-19, according to a Reuters report.

Researchers reviewed data from more than 400,000 participants in the UK Biobank, a British-based registry which tracks people’s health over a number of years. 973 of the participants developed a coronavirus infection severe enough to require hospitalization.

The study revealed that obese persons had a 49% higher risk of severe COVID-19 than those of normal weight. However slow walkers had the highest risk of developing severe COVID-19 irrespective of their weight.

People of normal weight who usually walked at a slow pace- less than 3 miles (4.8 km) per hour had more than double the odds of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms in comparison with those who normally walked at a faster pace of more than 4 miles (6.4 km) per hour.

Walking speed is often used as a measure of physical capabilities and could predict a risk of future disease or disabilities. Researchers even see a correlation between life expectancy and walking speed.

The authors of the study, which has not yet undergone peer review claim that “Self-reported walking pace, a simple measure of functional fitness, appears to be a risk factor for severe COVID-19 that is independent of obesity.”