The Grim Reaper is a famous mythological and literary figure personifying death. According to a study published in the Christmas issue on bmj.com, men of 70 years and older can elude the Grim Reaper by walking at speeds of at least 3 miles (or 5 km) an hour. Researchers say that for the first time, they have estimated the usual walking speed of the Grim Reaper at 1.8 miles per hour, saying he never walked faster than 3 miles per hour.
A team of researchers based at Concord Hospital in Sydney, Australia, decided to examine the association between mortality and walking speed. Between January 2005 to June 2007, they recruited 1,705 men aged 70 years and older, who lived in the inner city and suburbs of Sydney and who participated in The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP). The study included a high proportion of immigrants, only 50% of the participants were born Australians, 20% were born Italians with remainder of the participants originating from Great Britain, Greece and China. Participants’ walking speeds were evaluated at baseline and survival assessed over the five–year study period. The researchers noted a total of 266 deaths during the follow–up. The findings reveal that the average walking speed of the deceased was 0.88 meters per second (m/s), and that none of the men with walking speeds of 1.36 m/s or 3 miles (5km) per hour or more had contact with the Grim Reaper.
A team of researchers based at Concord Hospital in Sydney, Australia, decided to examine the association between mortality and walking speed. Between January 2005 to June 2007, they recruited 1,705 men aged 70 years and older, who lived in the inner city and suburbs of Sydney and who participated in The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP). The study included a high proportion of immigrants, only 50% of the participants were born Australians, 20% were born Italians with remainder of the participants originating from Great Britain, Greece and China. Participants’ walking speeds were evaluated at baseline and survival assessed over the five–year study period. The researchers noted a total of 266 deaths during the follow–up. The findings reveal that the average walking speed of the deceased was 0.88 meters per second (m/s), and that none of the men with walking speeds of 1.36 m/s or 3 miles (5km) per hour or more had contact with the Grim Reaper.
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