Usual gait speed assessment in middle-aged and elderly Brazilian subjects

Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy

Rômulo D. Novaes²  Aline S. Miranda¹  Victor Z. Dourado¹ 

[1] ,Universidade Federal de ViçosaViçosa MG ,Brazil

关键词: gait kinematics;    gait speed;    10-meter walk test;    cinemática da marcha;    velocidade da marcha;    teste de caminhada de 10m;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S1413-35552011000200006

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the usual gait speed of asymptomatic adult and elderly Brazilians with a 10-meter walk test and to compare the results with foreign reference values. METHODS: Seventy-nine asymptomatic volunteers >40 years old of both genders were assessed. After anamnesis, anthropometry and the application of a habitual physical activity questionnaire, the volunteers were submitted to a 10-meter walk test at usual speed by means of which gait speed, the number of steps and length of stride were calculated. RESULTS: Except for age, all study variables were significantly lower in women. Subjects >70 years old presented a significantly lower gait speed than subjects between 40 and 49 years old and between 50 and 59 in both men (1.09±0.18 m/s, 1.35±0.11 m/s and 1.34±0.22 m/s, respectively) and women (1.02±0,10 m/s, 1.27±0.20 m/s and 1.27±0,15 m/s), respectively). Gait speed showed moderate correlations with age (r=-0.41, p<0.001) and height (r=0.35, p=0.001). After multiple regression analysis, age and gender were selected as relevant attributes of gait speed in that they explained 24.6% of this variable. The gait speed values in this study were significantly lower than foreign reference values (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The gait speed presented age-related decline and values significantly lower than those described for foreign populations. This finding indicates the need for comprehensive investigation of gait speed reference values for the Brazilian population.

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