[The Era of 10 Million Elderly]⑦ Elderly Diseases, Prevention Over Aftercare... Walking 10,000 Steps and Writing 1,000 Characters Keeps Brain Health 'Sharp'

Importance of Disease Prevention Before Increasing Dependence on Medical Institutions

As South Korea enters a super-aged society, the burden of elderly medical expenses has become an imminent issue. According to the National Health Insurance Service, medical expenses incurred by seniors aged 65 and over reached 41 trillion won in 2021, a 46% increase compared to 2017. This figure far exceeds the overall age group medical expense growth rate of 35%. While exposure to diseases inevitably increases with age, preventing illnesses as much as possible before reliance on medical institutions grows can reduce the medical expense burden for both individuals and the nation.

Planning - [Escape Route from the '3 Hardships' in the Era of 10 Million Elderly - Disease] Korea Walking Association Senior Health Dementia Prevention Walking Event.
Elderly participants are walking with members of the Korea Walking Association at Ilwon Eco Park in Gangnam-gu. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

Accordingly, there are calls for the government’s health support for the elderly to focus on preventive measures such as exercise and health management before 'after-the-fact' medical expense support policies. Experts identify 'making walking a daily habit' as the most important and effective method for preventive elderly disease management.

Source: Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2021

Walking 10,000 Steps and Writing 1,000 Characters a Day Dramatically Reduces Dementia Risk

"You need to lift your toes and make sure your heel touches the ground first. Walking with this three-step gait helps your thighs stretch and promotes health."

On the 13th of last month, Oh Han-jin, president of the Korea Walking Association (a family medicine specialist), explained proper walking posture to participants at the 'Dementia Prevention Walking Event' held at Ilwon Eco Park in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The Korea Walking Association is a private organization established in 2001 to promote walking as a lifestyle.

About 100 people, including seniors, participated in the event. President Oh said, "It is well known that walking more than 4,000 to 5,000 steps a day is good for physical health and dementia prevention," adding, "To avoid needing someone’s care even for minor health issues as you age, you should start walking exercises immediately." He introduced a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology (JAMA Neurology), which found that dementia risk decreases by 25% when walking 3,800 steps a day and by 50% when walking 9,800 steps.

Planning - [The Path to Escape the '3 Hardships' in the Era of 10 Million Elderly - Disease] Korea Walking Association Elderly Health Dementia Prevention Walking Event. Participating seniors are stretching with instructors from the Korea Walking Association before walking. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Kim Myung-ja (78, female), who participated in the walking event, showed the reporter her disability welfare card and step-counting app alternately, saying, "I once had difficulty moving, and I still have diabetes and hypertension, but by walking a little every day consistently, both numbers have dropped significantly, and my health has definitely improved." She added, "These days, I walk 10,000 steps daily for more than an hour each in the morning and afternoon."

At the event, Gong Wan-seop (68, male), who demonstrated exemplary walking posture and was recommended by participants, said, "After work, I walk using the three-step gait method for 30 minutes to an hour three times a week, which has strengthened my legs," adding, "After walking, my body balance improves." Gong shared that he always gets off the subway one stop early when going out to increase his step count.

In South Korea, various citizen walking movement organizations, such as the 'One Day 10,000 Steps and 1,000 Characters National Movement Headquarters (Hamanhacheon Movement Headquarters),' launched last year, are active. The Hamanhacheon Movement Headquarters is an organization promoting a national campaign to protect brain health by walking 10,000 steps daily and copying 1,000 good phrases. They consistently send newsletters containing walking exercise information and hold walking events.

"Government and Local Authorities Should Support Walking Exercises"

Along with walking, brain activities such as reading good texts with the eyes and writing them by hand are also recommended as dementia prevention methods. President Oh emphasized, "When you feel drowsy while driving, making a phone call wakes you up because the brain activity is stimulated. Similarly, reading and writing daily stimulates brain activity, which greatly helps maintain brain health."

Kang Sung-hoon, a neurology professor at Korea University Guro Hospital, explained, "Active brain activity even in old age is effective in preventing dementia," adding, "Engaging in tasks that require concentration and accuracy with deadlines reduces the risk of cognitive impairment by 30%."

Providing auditory stimulation while walking is also beneficial. Listening to music during exercise can enhance exercise effects. International studies report that "listening to music while exercising leads to faster parasympathetic nerve recovery compared to listening to music after exercise or exercising alone" (Tohoku University, Japan) and "listening to music during exercise improves endurance by 15%" (Brunel University, UK). Listening reduces the boredom of exercise and positively affects metabolism, muscle strength, respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and the endocrine system, thereby reducing fatigue and increasing exercise efficiency.

Given that walking exercises greatly benefit physical and brain health in old age, there is an opinion that it is desirable to strengthen policy support at the government level to promote walking. While the government and local authorities support various sports to maintain residents' health across different age groups, it is pointed out that more effort should be put into creating walking exercise environments for the elderly rather than sports requiring significant physical strength, such as ball games.

Planning - [Escape Route from the '3 Hardships' in the Era of 10 Million Elderly - Disease] Korea Walking Association Elderly Health Dementia Prevention Walking Event.
Dr. Oh Han-jin interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

President Oh said, "If health policies are implemented to help citizens maintain physical and mental health into old age, the effect of reducing elderly medical expenses can be directly observed," adding, "To reduce the growing burden on health insurance finances for younger generations, the government should strengthen health management support for the elderly."