Association between walking pace and stroke incidence: findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study

Hayes, S. et al. (2020) Association between walking pace and stroke incidence: findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study. Stroke, 51(5), pp. 1388-1395. (doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.028064) (PMID:32299326)

Abstract

Background and Purpose— Stroke incidence in younger and middle-aged people is growing. Despite this, its associations in this subset of the stroke population are unknown, and prevention strategies are not tailored to meet their needs. This study examined the association between self-reported walking pace and incident stroke. Methods— Data from the UK Biobank were used in a prospective population-based study. Three hundred and sixty-three thousand, one hundred and thirty-seven participants aged 37 to 73 years (52% women) were recruited. The associations of self-reported walking pace with stroke incidence over follow-up were investigated using Cox proportional-hazard models. Results— Among 363,137 participants, 2705 (0.7%) participants developed a fatal or nonfatal stroke event over the mean follow-up period of 6.1 years (interquartile range, 5.4–6.7). Slow walking pace was associated with a higher hazard for stroke incidence (hazard ratio [HR], 1.45 [95% CI, 1.26–1.66]; P<0.0001). Stroke incidence was not associated with walking pace among people <65 years of age. However, slow walking pace was associated with a higher risk of stroke among participants aged ≥65 years (HR, 1.42 [95% CI, 1.17–1.72]; P<0.0001). A higher risk for stroke was observed on those with middle (HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.01–1.63]; P=0.039) and higher (HR, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.05–1.69]; P=0.012) deprivation levels but not in the least deprived individuals. Similarly, overweight (HR, 1.30 [95% CI, 1.04–1.63]; P=0.019) and obese (HR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.09–1.63]; P=0.004) but not normal-weight individuals had a higher risk of stroke incidence. Conclusions— Slow walking pace was associated with a higher risk of stroke among participants over 64 years of age in this population-based cohort study. The addition of the measurement of self-reported walking pace to primary care or public health clinical consultations may be a useful screening tool for stroke risk.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The UK Biobank was supported by the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, Department of Health, Scottish Government, and Northwest Regional Development Agency. It has also had funding from the Welsh Assembly Government and British Heart Foundation.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hastie, Dr Claire and Gill, Professor Jason and Anderson, Dr Jana and Welsh, Dr Claire and Ferguson, Dr Lyn and Celis, Dr Carlos and Gray, Professor Stuart and Iliodromiti, Dr Stamatina and Pell, Professor Jill and Sattar, Professor Naveed and Pellicori, Dr Pierpaolo and Lyall, Dr Donald
• Authors: Hayes, S., Forbes, J. F., Celis-Morales, C., Anderson, J., Ferguson, L., Gill, J. M.R., Gray, S., Hastie, C., Iliodromoti, S., Lyall, D., Pellicori, P., Sattar, N., Welsh, C. E., and Pell, J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Robertson Centre
• Journal Name: Stroke
• Publisher: American Heart Association
• ISSN: 0039-2499
• ISSN (Online): 1524-4628
• Published Online: 17 April 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 American Heart Association, Inc.
• First Published: First published in Stroke 51(5): 1388-1395
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy