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 .
The effect of walking and vitamin B supplementation on quality of life in community-dwelling adults with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, controlled trial
Objectives To examine the effect of walking and vitamin B supplementation on quality -of-life ( QoL ) in community-dwelling adults with mild cognitive impairment . Methods One year , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial . Participants were r and omized to : ( 1 ) twice-weekly , group-based , moderate-intensity walking program ( n = 77 )  or a light-intensity placebo activity program  ( n = 75 ) ; and ( 2 ) daily vitamin B pills containing 5 mg folic acid , 0.4 mg B12 , 50 mg B6 ( n = 78 ) or placebo pills ( n = 74 ) . QoL was measured at baseline , after six and 12 months using the population -specific Dementia Quality -of-Life ( D-QoL ) to assess overall QoL and the generic Short-Form 12 mental and physical component scales ( SF12-MCS and SF12-PCS ) to assess health-related QoL. Results Baseline levels of QoL were relatively high . Modified intention-to-treat analyses revealed no positive main intervention effect of walking or vitamin supplementation . In both men and women , ratings of D-QoL-belonging and D-QoL-positive affect subscales improved with 0.003 ( P = 0.04 ) and 0.002 points ( P = 0.06 ) with each percent increase in attendance to the walking program . Only in men , SF12-MCS increased with 0.03 points with each percent increase in attendance ( P = 0.08 ) . ConclusionS everal small but significant improvements in QoL were observed with increasing attendance to the walking program . No effect of vitamin B supplementation was observed . Trial Registration International St and ard R and omized Controlled Trial Number Register , 19227688 , http://www.controlled-trials.com/is rct
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 .