Abstract:Gait studies in the elderly population have been always conducted in gait labs or spacious clinical facilities, which influence gait parameters, and also implies that the participants have to be able to move to these facilities. Indoors gait characteristics of the elderly population have been very little studied. In this study, we aim to define the normal limits of the spatial gait parameters of the elderly, when walking at home, and to analyze relationship existing between the spatial gait parameters to other… Show more
“…1. Baseline characteristics of the sample were reported previously 20 . The baseline characteristics participants with complete data and at least one telephone control are shown in Table 1.Figure 1Sample flow chart.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Protocol for collecting the data of baseline visit, along with sampling and quality control procedures, have been previously published in the journal 20 .…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The footprint method consist in making the participants walk on a paper spread on the floor, with the soles of the shoes impregnated with ink. The detailed method for obtaining printed footprints can also be found in the previous publication of the baseline data 20 .…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Stride length and step width were recorded and analyzed in centimeters, as quantitative continuous variables. Stride length was normalized to the subject’s height and the step width was related to the stride length using the following formula 20 :…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Importantly, all gait parameters where recorded indoors at elderly people homes. This is an unusual feature of our database that offers a more-realistic picture of the elderly people gait, and thus will potentially serve better as reference standard when the new technologies available today, evolve to the point of reliably measuring the gait on an outpatient basis 20 .…”
Association between spatial gait parameters and adverse health outcomes in the elderly has not been sufficiently studied. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether the stride length or the step width predict falls, functional loss and mortality. We conducted a prospective cohort study on a probabilistic sample of 431 noninstitutionalized, older-than-64-years subjects living in Spain, who were followed-up for five years. In the baseline visit, spatial gait parameters were recorded along with several control variables, with special emphasis on known medical conditions, strength, balance and functional and cognitive capacities. In the follow-up calls, vital status, functional status and number of falls from last control were recorded. We found that a normalized-to-height stride length shorter than 0.52 predicted recurrent falls in the next 6 months with 93% sensitivity and 53% specificity (AUC: 0.72), and in the next 12 months with 81% sensitivity and 57% specificity (AUC: 0.67). A normalized stride length <0.5 predicted functional loss at 12 months with a sensitivity of 79.4% and specificity of 65.6% (AUC: 0.75). This predictive capacity remained independent after correcting for the rest of risk factors studied. Step-with was not clearly related to functional loss or falls. Both shorter normalized stride length (OR1.56; AUC: 0.62; p < 0.05) and larger step width (OR1.42; AUC: 0.62; p < 0.05) were associated with risk of death at 60 months; however, none of them remained as independent predictor of death, after correcting for other risk factors. In summary, spatial gait parameters may be risk markers for adverse outcomes in the elderly. Step length is independently associated with functional loss and falls at one year, after correction for numerous known risk factors.
“…1. Baseline characteristics of the sample were reported previously 20 . The baseline characteristics participants with complete data and at least one telephone control are shown in Table 1.Figure 1Sample flow chart.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Protocol for collecting the data of baseline visit, along with sampling and quality control procedures, have been previously published in the journal 20 .…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The footprint method consist in making the participants walk on a paper spread on the floor, with the soles of the shoes impregnated with ink. The detailed method for obtaining printed footprints can also be found in the previous publication of the baseline data 20 .…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Stride length and step width were recorded and analyzed in centimeters, as quantitative continuous variables. Stride length was normalized to the subject’s height and the step width was related to the stride length using the following formula 20 :…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Importantly, all gait parameters where recorded indoors at elderly people homes. This is an unusual feature of our database that offers a more-realistic picture of the elderly people gait, and thus will potentially serve better as reference standard when the new technologies available today, evolve to the point of reliably measuring the gait on an outpatient basis 20 .…”
Association between spatial gait parameters and adverse health outcomes in the elderly has not been sufficiently studied. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether the stride length or the step width predict falls, functional loss and mortality. We conducted a prospective cohort study on a probabilistic sample of 431 noninstitutionalized, older-than-64-years subjects living in Spain, who were followed-up for five years. In the baseline visit, spatial gait parameters were recorded along with several control variables, with special emphasis on known medical conditions, strength, balance and functional and cognitive capacities. In the follow-up calls, vital status, functional status and number of falls from last control were recorded. We found that a normalized-to-height stride length shorter than 0.52 predicted recurrent falls in the next 6 months with 93% sensitivity and 53% specificity (AUC: 0.72), and in the next 12 months with 81% sensitivity and 57% specificity (AUC: 0.67). A normalized stride length <0.5 predicted functional loss at 12 months with a sensitivity of 79.4% and specificity of 65.6% (AUC: 0.75). This predictive capacity remained independent after correcting for the rest of risk factors studied. Step-with was not clearly related to functional loss or falls. Both shorter normalized stride length (OR1.56; AUC: 0.62; p < 0.05) and larger step width (OR1.42; AUC: 0.62; p < 0.05) were associated with risk of death at 60 months; however, none of them remained as independent predictor of death, after correcting for other risk factors. In summary, spatial gait parameters may be risk markers for adverse outcomes in the elderly. Step length is independently associated with functional loss and falls at one year, after correction for numerous known risk factors.
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