Regular Walking Exercise Activities towards Uric Acid Levels in the Elderly People with Hyperuricemia

Background: Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a condition of increased uric acid levels in the blood beyond normal. This condition can progress towards joint disorders called gouty arthritis. Gouty arthritis is a non-communicable disease that occurs due to deposits of monosodium urate crystals in the blood. Regular walking exercise is a physical exercise that is done regularly by walking, both outdoors and indoors. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of regular walking exercise on uric acid levels in the elderly who experience hyperuricemia. Methods: This type of research is quasi-experimental pre-post-test with control group design. The population in this study was elderly people with hyperuricemia in the Purwokerto Timur I health center working area. Sampling was done using a simple random sampling technique, and 68 respondents were obtained. In addition, from 68 respondents, random allocation was done, and 34 treatment groups and 34 control groups were. The treatment group was given treatment by doing regular walking exercise as far as 2 kilometers during 12 weeks, while the control group did activities as usual. The instrument used to measure uric acid levels is a digital uric acid test kit. The data analysis used was the t-test. Results: The results of this study show that there is an effect of regular walking exercise on uric acid levels in older people with hyperuricemia (p = 0.000 < α = 0.05). Conclusion: regular walking exercise can reduce uric acid levels in older people with hyperuricemia.