A Scoping Review of the Predictive Qualities of Walking Speed in Older Adults.
Garrett Hainline, Robin D Hainline, Reed Handlery and 1 others
PMID 37820357WHAT IT FOUND
Self-selected walking speed below about 1.0 m/s in older adults was repeatedly linked to higher risk of mortality, falls, hospitalization, disability, cognitive decline, and low physical activity.
It can flag patients needing further assessment or referrals.
Key findings
01Multiple studies found walking speed of about 1.0 m/s to be a useful marker for risk or decline, and less than 1.0 m/s was proposed as a yellow flag for further evaluation or referral.
02Slower walking speed was linked to mortality: below 0.8 m/s was associated with being 71% more likely to die during 9-year follow-up, and each 0.1 m/s decrease was associated with about 20% higher all-cause mortality risk.
03Walking speed below 1.0 m/s was predictive of future falls, and speeds as high as 1.01 m/s were associated with increased fall risk compared with speeds over 1.12 m/s.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
One reviewer screened titles and abstracts, which may reduce confidence that all relevant articles were found. The search used only three databases, so relevant studies in other sources may have been missed. Articles focused on specific diagnoses were excluded, so the findings may not apply directly to clients with those conditions. The included studies used different walking-speed testing methods, and many did not clearly report assistive-device use, footwear, or fear of falling. This makes exact cut points harder to apply. This is a scoping review of associations, not a test of whether improving walking speed changes outcomes.
Declared interests
The article is marked as supported by NIH extramural research. No author conflict-of-interest declaration is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat any single walking-speed cut point as a universal diagnostic rule or assume walking speed causes these outcomes. The review pooled associations from studies with different testing methods, inconsistent reporting of assistive devices, footwear, and fear of falling, and many outcome-specific cut points.