Relationship of clinic-based gait speed measurement to limitations in community-based activities in older adults

Objective: To examine the ability of clinic-based assessments of gait speed to capture limitations in a broad range of home- and community-based activities. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Community-based aging cohort study. Participants: Community-residing subjects (N=655; 61% women; age <70y; mean, 80.4y). Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: Limitations on 3 gait-related activities of daily living (walking inside home, climbing up and down stairs) and 6 motor-based but gait-independent activities (bathing, dressing, getting up from a chair, toileting, shopping, using public transportation). Results: Gait speed was associated with the presence of self-reported difficulty for all 3 home-based activities that were directly gait related and 5 of 6 motor-based activities. Gait speed of 1m/s or less was associated with increased risk for limitations on at least 1 of the 9 selected activities (odds ratio, 3.21; 95% confidence interval, 2.244.58; P<.001). Conclusions: Gait speed measured in clinical settings has ecologic validity as a clinical marker of functional status in older adults for use in clinical and research settings.