Relationship between Gait Ability Needed for Going Out and the 3-meter Zig-zag Walking Test

Abstract

Focusing on the frequency of going out, this study investigated whether the 3-meter zigzag walking test (3ZW) is a useful index for assessing the gait ability needed by the elderly for going out. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 30 elderly persons aged 65 years or over who were regularly visiting a medical facility. The subjects were classified into two groups, based on their going out frequencies, and logistic regression analysis was conducted using their results in the 3ZW, timed up-and-go test (TUG), and 10-m walking test (10WT) as independent variables. In addition, using the walking speeds of the two groups, the most statistically valid 3ZW cutoff value was determined from the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). [Results] The 3ZW was determined to be a variable affecting the frequency of going out. The cutoff value for the 3ZW was judged from the ROC to be 11.1 s. [Conclusion] The results suggest that the gait ability needed for going out can be judged using the cutoff value as a boundary.