Article

OBJECTIVE: To quantify habitual walking speed and estimate the prevalence of low
habitual walking speed (<0.8m/s and <0.5m/s) in nursing home residents; and
secondarily to gain some insight into whether demographic, health, and functional
outcomes could predict the nursing home residents' walking speed. DESIGN:
Cross-sectional study.
SETTING: Eleven nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing home
residents (N=102 [37%] of 273 eligible, randomly selected residents from 11
nursing homes consented to participate in this study). INTERVENTIONS: Not
applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was habitual walking speed
assessed over a distance of 2.4m. Secondary outcomes including body composition,
muscle strength, balance and physical performance as assessed via the Short
Physical Performance Battery, and historical and current demographic and health
measures were all assessed as potential predictors of walking speed. RESULTS:
Mean walking speed was .37+/-.26 m/s, meaning that 97% and 75% of participants
had walking speeds <0.8m/s and <0.5m/s, respectively. Multivariable linear
regression identified physical activity status before 50 years of age and daily
sitting time as independent predictors of walking speed
(r(2)=.25, P<.05),
although this regression only accounted for 25% of the variance in walking speed.
CONCLUSIONS: Almost all participants in this study had below-normal walking
speed, a known clinical predictor of physical performance. Because walking speed
is a clinical marker of many age-related adverse outcomes in older age, efforts
to increase or at least maintain walking speed in nursing home residents should
be considered. Some evidence suggests that progressive resistance training may
offset these declines in walking speed.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS