There is evidence that walking groups have wide-ranging health benefits .
The evidence was less clear for other outcomes such as waist circumference fasting glucose , SF-36 ( mental health ) and serum lipids such as high-density lipids .
There were no notable adverse side effects reported in any of the studies .
CONCLUSIONS Walking groups are effective and safe with good adherence and wide-ranging health benefits .
They could be a promising intervention as an adjunct to other healthcare or as a proactive health-promoting activity
OBJECTIVE To assess the health benefits of  outdoor walking groups .
Women walking for health and fitness. How much is enough?
OBJECTIVE We studied whether the quantity and quality of walking necessary to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease among women differed substantially from that required to improve cardiorespiratory fitness . DESIGN A r and omized , controlled , dose-response clinical trial with a follow-up of 24 weeks . SETTING A private , nonprofit biomedical research facility . PARTICIPANTS One hundred two sedentary premenopausal women , 20 to 40 years of age , were r and omized to one of four treatment groups ; 59 completed the study  ( 16 aerobic walkers [ 8.0-km/h group ] , 12 brisk walkers [ 6.4-km/h group ] , 18 strollers [ 4.8-km/h group ] , and 13 sedentary controls ) . Eighty-one percent were white , 17 % black , and 2 % Hispanic . INTERVENTION Intervention groups walked 4.8 km per day , 5 days per week at 8.0 km/h , 6.4 km/h , or 4.8 km/h on a tartan-surfaced , 1.6-km track for 24 weeks . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Fitness ( determined by maximal oxygen uptake ) and cardiovascular risk factors ( determined by resting blood pressure and serum lipid and lipoprotein levels ) . RESULTS As compared with controls , maximal oxygen uptake increased significantly ( P less than .0001 ) and in a dose-response manner ( aerobic walkers greater than brisk walkers greater than strollers ) . In contrast , high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were not dose related and increased significantly ( P less than .05 ) and to the same extent among women who experienced considerable improvements in their physical fitness ( 8.0-km/h group , + 0.08 mmol/L ) and those who had only minimal improvements in fitness ( 4.8-km/h group , + 0.08 mmol/L ) . High-density lipoprotein cholesterol also increased among the 6.4-km/h group , but did not attain statistical significance ( + 0.06 mmol/L ; P = .06 ) . Dietary patterns revealed no significant differences among groups . CONCLUSION Thus , we conclude that vigorous exercise is not necessary for women to obtain meaningful improvements in their lipoprotein profile . Walking at intensities that do not have a major impact on cardiorespiratory fitness may nonetheless produce equally favorable changes in the cardiovascular risk profile
There is evidence that walking groups have wide-ranging health benefits .
The evidence was less clear for other outcomes such as waist circumference fasting glucose , SF-36 ( mental health ) and serum lipids such as high-density lipids .
There were no notable adverse side effects reported in any of the studies .
CONCLUSIONS Walking groups are effective and safe with good adherence and wide-ranging health benefits .
They could be a promising intervention as an adjunct to other healthcare or as a proactive health-promoting activity
OBJECTIVE To assess the health benefits of  outdoor walking groups .