PURPOSE This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a 12-week walkingbased exercise program with square stepping exercise (SSE) on chronic pain and sleep in community-dwelling Korean older adults. METHODS A total of 42 older adults who had not participated in a registered exercise program in the past 3 months were included, among whom 20 participants in the exercise group engaged in a walking exercise program once a week for 60 min per session for 12 weeks. Repeated measures two-way analysis of variance was used to analyze pre- and postinterventions data on chronic pain and sleep. RESULTS The exercise group showed a significant improvement in the chronic pain score after the intervention (2.0 ± 1.4 vs 1.4 ± 0.8, p < .05). Similarly, there was a significant difference in the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score in the exercise group after the intervention (6.1 ± 1.8 vs 4.9 ± 2.6, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS The walking-based exercise program with SSE is an effective intervention for alleviating chronic pain and simultaneously improving sleep quality in older adults. Our study suggests that a walking-based exercise program, which includes varied stepping patterns, could be a viable approach for addressing societal challenges, including the increasing healthcare expenses due to chronic pain or sleep disorders in a super-aging society.
