Walking with a rollator and the level of physical intensity in adults 75 years of age or older.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether walking with a rollator by persons 75 years of age or older is of sufficient intensity to improve aerobic fitness.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional cohort study.

SETTING: University movement laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen subjects 75 years of age or older (mean age, 83.7 y) who could only walk by using a rollator.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: During 6 minutes of self-paced treadmill walking using a rollator at a mean walking speed of 0.6 m/s, oxygen uptake (Vo2), carbon dioxide production, and heart rate were determined. Respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and energy expenditure were calculated. The energy expenditure was expressed as the number of metabolic equivalents (METS), the percentage of estimated maximal Vo2 (Vo2max), the percentage of estimated Vo2max reserve, and the percentage of estimated maximal heart rate.

RESULTS: Mean Vo2 was .718 L/min. Mean RER was .93 (95% confidence interval [CI], .89-.97). Thirteen participants showed an RER below 1.0, which indicates a negligible contribution of anaerobic expenditure. Walking with a rollator required a mean of 2.8 (95% CI, 2.4-3.2) METS, 71.9% of Vo2max (95% CI, 65.2%-78.6%), 50.5% (95% CI, 39.4%-61.5%) of Vo2 reserve, and 75.2% (95% CI, 67.6%-82.8%) of estimated maximal heart rate.

CONCLUSIONS: For people 75 years of age or older, walking with a rollator is an activity of moderate to high level of intensity, with the capacity of improving aerobic fitness.