Physical activity can reduce the risk of hip fractures in older women, although the required type and duration of activity have not been clearly determined. Walking is the most common activity among older adults, and evidence suggests that it can increase femoral bone density and reduce fracture risk. This study assessed the relationship of walking, leisure-time activity, and risk of hip fracture among postmenopausal women. A total of 61,200 postmenopausal women without diagnosis of cancer, heart disease, stroke, or osteoporosis at baseline were chosen to be analyzed prospectively in an analysis begun in 1986 with 12 years of follow-up in the Nurses' Health Study. The researchers concluded that moderate levels of physical activity, including walking, are associated with substantially lower risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women.

Read the complete article: Feskanich D, Willett W, and Colditz G. (2002). Walking and Leisure-Time Activity and Risk of Hip Fracture in Postmenopausal Women." Journal of the American Medical Association. 288 (18): 2300-2306.