Walking Speed Assessed by 4-Meter Walk Test in the Community-Dwelling Oldest Old Population in Vietnam

Abstract

This study aims to provide data on usual walking speed in individuals aged 80 years or older and determine the association between walking speed and related factors in community-dwelling older adults. A cross-sectional study design was conducted to measure walking speed on community-dwelling elders aged 80 years or older in Soc Son district, Vietnam. Walking speed was assessed by a 4-Meter Walk Test with a usual-pace walking mode. Health-related characteristics of participants including risk of falls (The Timed Up and Go test, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), cognitive impairment (Mini-Cog test) and frailty syndrome (The Reported Edmonton Frail Scale (REFS)). Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between a slow walking speed and selected factors. A total of 364 older people were recruited, and the majority were female (65.4%). The overall average walking speed was 0.83 ± 0.27 m/s. The proportion of participants with a slow walking speed (<0.8 m/s) was 40.4%. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that age, female, high fall risk (assessed by TUG test), ADL/IADL dependence and frailty syndrome had a negative effect on slow walking speed in this population. The results could provide useful reference data for further investigations and measures in clinical practice.

Agreement between face‑to‑face assessment and tele‑assessment of performance-based tests in older adults

“…In healthy older adults, the high test-retest reliability and validity of the 4MWT in measuring walking speed is reported in the literature [9]. This simple test requires minimal space and equipment and can be easily conducted by trained staff [31]. According to our results, when used as a method of tele-assessment, the 4MWT has good inter-rater reliability and excellent intra-rater reliability in older adults.…”

Changes in Physical Performance among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Six Years

“…As previously described, balance and strength are necessary to perform the TUG and it is known that balance worsens from the age of 70 and muscle strength reduces around 30% among individuals at this age [ 47 ]. Furthermore, advanced age represents an accumulation of intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with aging that can contribute to the PP decline, as verified in a cross-sectional study among elders aged 80 years or older in Vietnam with GS assessed by 4-m walk test [ 48 ]. This finding is in line with other studies reporting PP declines in older adults [ 11 , 31 , 32 , 48 ], except for a recent study that found a meaningful increase in GS over 10 years of follow-up among over 1000 Swiss older adults [ 12 ].…”

“…Furthermore, advanced age represents an accumulation of intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with aging that can contribute to the PP decline, as verified in a cross-sectional study among elders aged 80 years or older in Vietnam with GS assessed by 4-m walk test [ 48 ]. This finding is in line with other studies reporting PP declines in older adults [ 11 , 31 , 32 , 48 ], except for a recent study that found a meaningful increase in GS over 10 years of follow-up among over 1000 Swiss older adults [ 12 ]. Interestingly, this study evaluated whether new cohorts of older people are in better health than previous ones.…”

Analysis of Lower Extremity Motor Capacity and Foot Plantar Pressure in Overweight and Obese Elderly Women

“…In addition to feet, the completion of mobile activities is inseparable from the functional help of the lower extremities. Previous studies have indicated that the motor capacity measurement of lower extremities had closer associations with mobile activity performance and falls [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Similarly, it has also been shown that the distribution analyses of plantar pressure have great significance in studying the foot performance of physiological functions, fall prevention and bio-mechanical characteristics [ 28 , 29 ].…”