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To stay healthy in old age, household chores can help adults in a big way. It may seem a bit rash, but researchers suggest that tasks at home like scrubbing floors, dusting, etc may help in staying fit.  

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The study has been published in the journal ‘BMJ Open’. A Singapore-based team of researchers said that regular physical activity “improves physical and mental health, mitigates the risks and effects of chronic diseases, and reduces falls, immobility, dependency and mortality among older adults”.  

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In the study, the team recruited adults from Yishun town in Singapore. The participants were asked about their levels of physical activity, including the amount of light housework and heavy housework they did and were assessed for their risk of having a fall based on measures like knee extension strength.  

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It involved 249 participants in the age group of 21 to 64 years and 240 participants belonging to the age group of 65 to 90 years.   

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The team found cognitive scores and attention scores were 8% and 14% higher respectively for adults, which did high amount of heavy housework compared to low levels.  

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Dr Shiou-Liang Wee, co-author of the research, said, “Housework is a purposeful activity performed by many older adults. Independent of recreation, (commuting) and other work-related physical activity, heavy housework is linked to sharper memory and better falls protection in older adults.”   

(With inputs from agencies)