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 or vitamin B for cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment? A randomised controlled trial
Objective : To examine the effects of aerobic exercise or vitamin B supplementation on cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment ( MCI ) . Design : R and omised placebo-controlled trial . Setting : General community . Participants : Community-dwelling adults aged 70–80 with MCI . Interventions : The 152 participants were r and omly assigned to two interventions : ( 1 ) a twice-weekly , group-based , moderate-intensity walking programme ( WP , n = 77 ) or a low-intensity placebo activity programme ( n = 75 ) for one year ; and ( 2 ) daily vitamin pill containing 5 mg folic acid , 0.4 mg vitamin B-12 , 50 mg vitamin B-6 ( FA/B12/B6 , n = 78 ) or placebo pill ( n = 74 ) for one year . Outcome measures : Cognitive function , measured with neuropsychological tests at baseline and after six and 12 months . Results : Median session attendance at the exercise programmes ( 25th–75th percentile ) was 63 % ( 2%–81 % ) and median compliance with taking pills ( 25th–75th percentile ) was 100 % ( 99%–100 % ) . Gender was an effect modifier . Intention-to-treat analysis revealed no main intervention effect for either intervention . In women in the WP , attention ( Stroop combination task ) improved by 0.3 seconds ( p = 0.04 ) and memory ( auditory verbal learning test ) by 0.04 words ( p = 0.06 ) with each percentage increase in session attendance . In men attending at least 75 % of the sessions , the WP improved memory ( β 1.5 ( 95 % CI : 0.1 to 3.0 ) words ) . Conclusion : The walking programme and /or FA/B12/B6 supplementation were not effective in improving cognition within one year . The walking programme , however , was efficacious in improving memory in men and memory and attention in women with better adherence . Trial registration : International St and ard R and omised 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 .