Background
Methods
Participants
Measure score range | N or (Mean) | % or (SD) |
---|---|---|
Health Status
| ||
Arthritis | 283 | 41.8 |
Diabetes | 46 | 6.7 |
Incontinence | 103 | 15.1 |
Depression | 70 | 10.2 |
Stroke | 48 | 7.0 |
Dizziness | 30 | 4.4 |
SF-12 Physical Component Summary Score | (48.24) | (8.95) |
SF-12 Mental Component Summary Score | (55.57) | (6.71) |
Medications
| ||
Psychoactive medications | 105 | 15.4 |
Cardiovascular medications | 477 | 69.7 |
Musculoskeletal medications | 161 | 23.5 |
≥ 4 medications | 377 | 55.1 |
Planned walk at least once/week | 378 | 55.3 |
Use of walking aid | 115 | 16.8 |
≥ 1 fall in the past year | 294 | 43.0 |
Moderate or marked fear of falling | 189 | 27.9 |
Functional mobility tests
Coordinated stability
Near tandem balance
Walking speed – six metre walk
Sit to stand
Alternate step
Stair ascent and descent
Statistical analysis
Results
Test-retest reliability
Age and gender comparisons
Test (measure) | Age group (years) | Men Median (IQR) | Women Median (IQR) | Total Median (IQR) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coordinated stability (errors) | 20–39 | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) |
75–79 | 2.0 (0.0–7.0) | 5.0 (2.0–10.0) | 4.0 (1.0–9.5) | |
80–84 | 4.0 (0.5–8.0) | 10.0 (4.0–17.0) | 8.0 (3.0–15.5) | |
85–89 | 8.0 (4.0–14.0) | 12.5 (3.75–19.0) | 11.0 (4.0–18.0) | |
90+ | 15.0 (6.0–23.0) | 16.0 (6.5–20.5) | 15.5 (6.2–20.7) | |
Total (75+)
|
4.0 (0.0–10.0)
|
7.0 (3.0–15.0)
|
6.0 (2.0–13.0)
| |
Near tandem balance (s) | 20–39 | 30.0 (30.0–30.0) | 30.0 (30.0–30.0) | 30.0 (30.0–30.0) |
75–79 | 15.8 (4.2–30) | 9.2 (4.7–30) | 10.8 (4.3–30.0) | |
80–84 | 17.4 (4.8–30.0) | 7.2 (2.8–29.2) | 8.3 (3.0–30.0) | |
85–89 | 5.0 (0.0–23.3) | 3.9 (1.2–8.4) | 3.9 (0.5–11.6) | |
90+ | 0.0 (0.0–3.3) | 0.0 (0.0–2.4) | 0.0 (0.0–2.5) | |
Total (75+)
|
14.7 (3.4–30.0)
|
7.2 (3.0–29.6)
|
8.2 (3.1–30.0)
| |
Walking speed (m/s) | 20–39 | 1.5 (1.2–1.6) | 1.4 (1.3–1.6) | 1.4 (1.3–1.6) |
75–79 | 1.1 (0.9–1.3) | 1.1 (0.9–1.2) | 1.1 (0.9–1.2) | |
80–84 | 1.1 (0.9–1.2) | 1.0 (0.9–1.4) | 1.0 (0.9–1.2) | |
85–89 | 1.1 (0.8–1.2) | 0.8 (0.7–1.0) | 0.9 (0.7–1.1) | |
90+ | 0.9 (0.6–0.9) | 0.8 (0.6–0.9) | 0.8 (0.6–0.9) | |
Total (75+)
|
1.1 (0.9–1.2)
|
1.0 (0.9–1.1)
|
1.0 (0.9–1.2)
| |
Sit to stand (s) | 20–39 | 7.9 (6.9–9.4) | 8.0 (6.4–9.0) | 7.9 (6.6–9.0) |
75–79 | 10.3 (9.0–12.9) | 11.5 (9.3–13.6) | 11.2 (9.1–13.4) | |
80–84 | 11.5 (9.4–14.5) | 12.0 (10.0–15.0) | 11.9 (9.7–14.7) | |
85–89 | 11.7 (9.8–14.7) | 12.1 (10.2–15.0) | 12.0 (10.1–14.9) | |
90+ | 14.5 (9.7–30.0) | 14.6 (10.7–15.2) | 14.5 (10.5–20.6) | |
Total (75+)
|
10.9 (9.2–14.1)
|
11.9 (9.7–14.3)
|
11.6 (9.5–14.2)
| |
Alternate step (s) | 20–39 | 6.9 (6.2–7.7) | 6.8 (6.3–7.3) | 6.8 (6.3–7.3) |
75–79 | 8.6 (7.5–10.6) | 9.5 (7.8–10.9) | 9.2 (7.7–10.9) | |
80–84 | 9.3 (7.7–12.0) | 10.7 (9.0–12.9) | 10.2 (8.6–12.5) | |
85–89 | 10.0 (8.5–13.2) | 11.2 (9.1–16.4) | 10.7 (8.8–15.4) | |
90+ | 13.2 (9.5–18.8) | 14.5 (12.2–20.8) | 13.9 (11.7–20.2) | |
Total (75+)
|
9.1 (7.8–11.8)
|
10.1 (8.3–12.3)
|
9.7 (8.0–12.2)
| |
Stair ascent (steps/s) | 20–39 | 2.0 (1.9–3.2) | 2.6 (2.3–2.8) | 2.5 (2.0–2.9) |
75–79 | 1.9 (1.6–2.2) | 1.6 (1.4–2.0) | 1.7 (1.4–2.0) | |
80–84 | 1.8 (1.5–2.2) | 1.4 (1.2–1.7) | 1.5 (1.2–1.8) | |
85–89 | 1.6 (1.4–1.8) | 1.2 (0.8–1.5) | 1.4 (1.0–1.6) | |
90+ | 1.2 (0.9–1.5) | 1.1 (0.5–1.6) | 1.2 (0.9–1.6) | |
Total (75+)
|
1.8 (1.5–2.1)
|
1.5 (1.2–1.8)
|
1.6 (1.3–1.9)
| |
Stair descent (steps/s) | 20–39 | 2.5 (2.2–3.9) | 3.0 (2.7–3.4) | 2.9 (2.3–3.4) |
75–79 | 2.0 (1.7–2.4) | 1.6 (1.3–2.0) | 1.8 (1.4–2.1) | |
80–84 | 1.8 (1.4–2.2) | 1.3 (0.9–1.7) | 1.5 (1.1–1.9) | |
85–89 | 1.7 (1.3–2.0) | 1.2 (0.6–1.4) | 1.3 (0.8–1.7) | |
90+ | 1.0 (0.9–1.4) | 0.9 (0.4–1.3) | 1.0 (0.7–1.3) | |
Total (75+)
|
1.9 (1.4–2.3)
|
1.4 (1.1–1.8)
|
1.6 (1.2–2.0)
|
Coordinated stability | Near tandem balance | Walking speed | Sit to stand | Alternate step | Stair ascent | Stair descent | Age | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coordinated stability | -0.38*** | -0.45*** | 0.32*** | 0.46*** | -0.50*** | -0.50*** | 0.30*** | |
Near tandem balance |
0.11
| 0.38*** | -0.24*** | -0.28*** | 0.31*** | 0.35*** | -0.26*** | |
Walking speed |
0.10
|
-0.01
| -0.49*** | -0.57*** | 0.68*** | 0.65*** | -0.30*** | |
Sit to stand |
0.17
|
0.10
|
0.01
| 0.63*** | -0.54*** | -0.51*** | 0.14*** | |
Alternate step |
0.15
|
-0.09
|
-0.20
| 0.49*** | -0.64*** | -0.64*** | 0.27*** | |
Stair ascent |
-0.10
|
0.21
| 0.39* |
-0.15
| -0.40** | 0.87*** | -0.33*** | |
Stair descent |
0.09
|
0.22
| 0.45** |
-0.14
| -0.35* | 0.84*** | -0.35*** | |
Age |
-0.09
| -0.26* |
0.18
|
-0.17
| -0.25* |
0.09
|
0.03
|
Medical conditions within the older group
Test (measure) | No stroke (n = 636) | Stroke (n = 48) | No arthritis (n = 401) | Arthritis (n = 283) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coordinated stability (errors) | 5.5 (1.1–12.5) | 11.5 (3.9–20.5)** | 5.0 (1.0–12.1) | 7.4 (2.9–14.6)*** |
Near tandem balance (s) | 8.5 (3.1–30.0) | 7.0 (2.0–30.0) | 7.9 (3.1–30.0) | 8.6 (3.0–30.0) |
Walking speed (m/s) | 1.1 (0.9–1.2) | 1.0 (0.9–1.1)* | 1.1 (1.0–1.3) | 1.0 (0.9–1.2)*** |
Sit to stand (s) | 11.5 (9.5–14.2) | 12.1 (10.6–14.7) | 11.0 (9.2–13.3) | 12.5 (10.3–15.9)*** |
Alternate step (s) | 9.7 (8.0–12.2) | 10.6 (9.6–13.0)* | 9.4 (7.8–11.4) | 10.7 (8.4–13.4)*** |
Stair ascent (steps/s) | 1.7 (1.3–2.0) | 1.5 (1.3–1.7)* | 1.8 (1.4–2.0) | 1.5 (1.2–1.8)*** |
Stair descent (steps/s) | 1.6 (1.2–2.0) | 1.5 (1.1–1.8) | 1.8 (1.4–2.1) | 1.4 (1.0–1.9)*** |