Cultivating a Walking Habit Leads to a Healthy Senior Age.

It has been confirmed that the elderly in South Korea walk an average of 60.7 minutes per day. This figure stands out as the only one among surveyed countries to exceed an hour, surpassing the overall average of 43.8 minutes by nearly 17 minutes. In stark contrast, Brazil, with the shortest walking time, lingers at 33.2 minutes, which is almost half of South Korea's walking time. Korean seniors have been revealed to be the most active walkers in the world. However, sleep duration and quality have been found to be somewhat lacking.

While the walking habits of Korea's elderly stand out compared to other countries, there are some concerns regarding insufficient sleep duration and quality.

 

On the flip side, it has been established that the elderly in South Korea have the shortest sleep duration in the world. The average daily sleep duration is 390 minutes (6 hours and 30 minutes), ranking 16th out of 17 countries and falling short by 33 minutes compared to the global average of 423 minutes. Except for India (386 minutes), there is no country with a shorter sleep duration than South Korea. When comparing the sleep duration of Korean seniors to Finland, where people sleep the longest (7 hours and 39 minutes or 459 minutes), it appears that Korean elders sleep over an hour less. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) in the United States recommends a minimum of 7 hours of sleep. The average sleep duration in the Asian region, including Korea, is also the shortest at 6 hours and 34 minutes.

 

Regarding the quality of sleep, South Korea ranks last among the 17 countries. The measured 'sleep score' was 63.4, falling below the overall average of 64.9. In contrast, Finland emerged as the country with the highest sleep score, recording 66.3.

 

This survey was conducted among the elderly in 17 countries, including South Korea, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Indonesia.

 

While the walking habits of Korea's elderly stand out compared to other countries, there are some concerns regarding insufficient sleep duration and quality. To ensure a healthy senior age, a consistent exercise routine, as well as adequate sleep, are necessary. Based on these findings, there is a need to explore solutions for improvement.