Effects of walking exercise on cognitive and physical functions: ­meta-analysis of older adults

Aging-related diseases are a significant social concern due to rapid aging as life expectancy continues to increase and birth rates decline. This study conducted a meta-analysis to suggest guidelines maximizing effects of forest walking exercises on older adults’ cognitive and physical functions. We collected articles from national and international electronic search engines (RISS, NDSL, KISS, Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, Riss, and Web of Science) published until February 28, 2021, wherein older adults participated in walking exercises. The overall effect sizes of walking exercise on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and performance of activities of daily living (ADL), which are measures of cognitive function, were 0.772 and 0.527, respectively. The overall effect sizes of agility, cardiorespiratory endurance, and upper and lower body strengths, which are measures of physical function, were –0.670, 0.698, 0.685, and 0.433, respectively. The greatest moderation effect was observed for an experimental group size of 20–29 subjects, with complex exercises, exercising for 10 to 19 weeks, exercising three times per week, and for 60 minutes. The results of this study can help minimize errors when designing or assessing research on forest walking exercise programs or selecting appropriate assessment tools or measures.