Associations of Gait Speed, Cadence, Gait Stability Ratio, and Body Balance with Falls in Older Adults

Marcelo de Maio Nascimento (), Élvio Rúbio Gouveia, Bruna R. Gouveia, Adilson Marques, Francisco Martins, Krzysztof Przednowek, Cíntia França, Miguel Peralta and Andreas Ihle
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Marcelo de Maio Nascimento: Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, 56304-917 Petrolina, Brazil
Élvio Rúbio Gouveia: Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Bruna R. Gouveia: LARSYS, Interactive Technologies Institute, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Adilson Marques: Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon (CIPER), 1495-751 Lisbon, Portugal
Francisco Martins: Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Krzysztof Przednowek: Institute of Physical Culture Sciences, Medical College, University of Rzeszów, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Cíntia França: Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Miguel Peralta: Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon (CIPER), 1495-751 Lisbon, Portugal
Andreas Ihle: Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-13

Abstract: To investigate the association between gait speed (GS), cadence (CAD), gait stability ratio (GSR), and body balance (BB) with falls in a large sample of older adults. The analysis included 619 individuals—305 men and 314 women (69.50 ± 5.62 years)—residing in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal. Mobility in GS, CAD, and GSR was assessed using the 50-foot walk test and BB by the Fullerton Advanced Balance scale. The frequency of falls was obtained by self-report. Linear regression analysis showed that higher performance in GS and BB was able to reduce the risk of falling by up to 0.34 and 0.44 times, respectively. An increase in the GSR value enhanced the risk of falling by up to 0.10 times. Multinomial analysis indicated that, in relation to the highest tertile (reference), older adults classified with GS and BB performance in the lowest tertile (lowest) had an increased chance (OR) of falling by up to 149.3% and 48.8%, respectively. Moreover, in relation to the highest tertile, the performance of the GSR classified in the lowest and medium tercile showed an increase in the chance of falling by up to 57.4% and 56.4%, respectively.

Keywords: aging; vulnerability; falls; mobility; postural control; measuring instruments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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