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 .
Walking with its training effects on the fitness and activity patterns of 79-91 year old females.
BACKGROUND Information is lacking about the physiological and psychosocial effects of exercise among very old persons . AIM To investigate the effect of a twice-weekly , six-month progressive walking programme on 38 healthy women in their ninth decade , for evidence of the benefits of exercise . METHODS Aerobic fitness , blood pressure , skinfold thickness and habitual activity patterns were studied in a r and omised controlled trial . Women were chosen , as this is a group of increasing demographic importance for which studies are lacking . RESULTS The training group and control group were not significantly different at baseline . However , after six months of progressive exercise the training group showed lower resting ( p < 0.05 ) and working ( p < 0.005 ) heart rates compared with non-exercising controls . ANCOVA analyses indicated higher scores for the training group compared with the control group for Maximum Current Activity and Normative Impairment Index ( both p < 0.001 ) , which are both components of the Habitual Activity Profile . Morale also significantly improved within the training group ( p < 0.01 ) . CONCLUSIONS These data show the trainability of very old women and the positive impact a low frequency , progressive exercise programme can have on cardiorespiratory fitness and daily living activity patterns . Such improvements are likely to be indicative of an enhanced outlook for independence
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 .