Asian Nurs Res.  2013 Mar;7(1):1-7.

Effects of Nordic Walking on Body Composition, Muscle Strength, and Lipid Profile in Elderly Women

• Song MS
• Yoo YK
• Choi CH
• Kim NC

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Nordic walking on body composition, muscle strength, and lipid profile in elderly women. METHOD: Sixty-seven women were assigned to the Nordic walking group (n = 21), the normal walking group (n = 21), and the control group (n = 25). Nordic walking and normal walking were performed three times a week for 12 weeks. Body weight, body mass index, total body water, skeletal muscle mass, percent body fat, grip strength, sit to stand, arm curl, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured before and after the program. A Chi-square test, one way analysis of variance, paired t test and repeated-measure two-factor analysis were used with the SAS program for data analysis.
RESULTS
There was a significant difference in the weight (F = 8.07, p < .001), grip strength (F = 10.30, p < .001), sit to stand (F = 16.84, p < .001), arm curl (F = 41.16, p < .001), and total cholesterol (F = 5.14, p = .009) measurements between the groups. In addition, arm curl was significantly increased in the Nordic walking group compared to the normal walking group and the control group.
CONCLUSION
The results indicate that Nordic walking was more effective than normal walking in improving upper extremity strength.

Keyword

aged; body composition; lipids; muscle strength; walking

MeSH Terms

Adipose Tissue
Aged
Arm
Body Composition
Body Mass Index
Body Water
Body Weight
Cholesterol
Female
Hand Strength
Humans
Lipoproteins
Muscle Strength
Muscle, Skeletal
Muscles
Phenothiazines
Upper Extremity
Walking
Cholesterol
Lipoproteins
Phenothiazines