<p>Reference values of gait parameters measured with a plantar pressure platform in community-dwelling older Japanese adults</p>

Abstract

Background Gait measures such as gait speed, stride length, step width, and stance duration change with advanced age and are associated with adverse health outcomes among older adults. The stride-to-stride variabilities of gait measures are also related to falls and cognitive decline in older adults; however, reference values of these gait parameters in older Japanese adults do not exist. This study aimed to determine the reference values of gait parameters as measured by a plantar pressure platform in community-dwelling older Japanese adults. Methods Community-dwelling adults (N=1,212) who were independent in basic activities of daily living and aged 70–96 years (491 men, 721 women) completed the gait performance measurement in a geriatric health assessment. We assessed 10 gait performance measures with a plantar pressure platform system (P-WALK, BTS Bioengineering) and calculated means and coefficient of variations (CVs) of the gait measures as well as quintiles for those gait parameters per age group among men and women. Results Mean (SDs) of gait speed, stride length, step width, and stance durations were 1.26 (0.24) meters per second (m/s), 121.9 (19.8) cm, 24.0 (3.2) cm, and 552.4 (60.4) milliseconds (ms), respectively, in men, and 1.27 (0.21) m/s, 115.7 (16.3) cm, 17.9 (2.8) cm, and 517.6 (59.8) ms, respectively, in women. Mean of CVs (SD) of stride length, step width, and single-stance duration were 2.76 (1.35), 12.06 (3.98), and 5.74 (2.66), respectively, in men and 2.69 (1.24), 15.65 (4.53), and 5.77 (2.40), respectively, in women. Gait parameters (except CVs of step width) declined significantly with age regardless of gender ( P < 0.01 for trends). Conclusion This study determined age group dependent gait parameter reference values, presented as means with quintile ranges, in community-dwelling older Japanese adults. These reference values may be useful metrics for gait assessment in the elderly.

<p>Reference Values of Gait Speed and Gait Spatiotemporal Parameters for a South East Asian Population: The Yishun Study</p>

“…Step width refers to the distance (diagonal) between the right and left mid foot 27 ; hence, it is associated with step length. Although Kawai et al documented an increase in step width with advancing age, 10 we observed a reversing trend instead. Gluteus Medius, the agonist muscle for hip abduction, stabilizes the pelvic in locomotion.…”

“…35 The widest step width was observed in men and women, in their 40s and 30s, respectively, followed by a downward trend with age. In comparison, our older adults appeared to walk slower as compared to other Asian 6,[8][9][10] and Caucasian older adults. 14,23 Whether the compound effect of decreased step length and step width accentuates the slower walking speed in our older adults, and whether this could increase fall risks in our comparably vulnerable population, warrants further investigation.…”

“…As expected, we observed a decline in gait speed among the older age groups. 10 Although the relationship between gait speed and age appeared to be elliptical, 13 the trajectories of gait speed across the adult age spectrum were dissimilar in men and women. In men, heightadjusted gait speed was fastest for those in their 40s, plateauing till the seventh decade, before declining significantly thereafter.…”

“…Although there are some South East Asian studies on habitual gait, 6,[8][9][10] most of these studies focused only on the elderly aged 60 years old and above. 9,10 In studying the younger population (40 years old and above), Yoshimura et al (2011) 8 reported that gait speed peaked between 40 and 49 years of age, before declining thereafter. However, it is still unclear how gait speed changes prior to the fifth decade of life.…”

“…17 Similarly, majority of the studies on spatiotemporal gait parameters focused on older adults 70 years old and above. 10,14,18 The objectives of this study were to determine reference values and examine the trajectories of gait speed and gait spatiotemporal parameters across adult age groups.…”