Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reliability of walking speed in basic and complex conditions in healthy, older community-dwelling individuals

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

There is a paucity of reliability data for walking speed tests in complex conditions to assess functioning in healthy older individuals.

Aims

To evaluate the absolute intra- and intertest reliability of walking speed performed in basic and complex conditions in healthy older individuals.

Methods

Fifty-two men and women of mean age 69.7 ± 3.2 years were tested for habitual and maximal walking speed. Maximal speed was also assessed under different conditions, including walking on a path of reduced width; picking up objects; stepping over hurdles; stepping over hurdles wearing sunglasses and finally, carrying a box. Two testing sessions (separated by 4 weeks) of two trials each were administered. Reliability was analysed by intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), minimal detectable change (MDC) and Bland–Altman plots with limits of agreement (LOA).

Results

Intrasession ICCs ranged from good to excellent (0.89–0.95) except for picking up objects (0.44). Intersession ICCs were moderate to good (0.60–0.78) and %MDCs were acceptable (14–24%). Bland–Altman plots suggested a good agreement between the two testing sessions at group level (mean differences from – 0.02 to − 0.11 m/s), and limited agreement between testing sessions at individual level (upper LOA from 0.13 to 0.37 m/s and lower LOA from − 0.29 to − 0.49 m/s).

Conclusions

Complex walking speed tests are generally reliable measures displaying good and moderate intra- and inter-session reliability. Such tests seem a more suitable functional assessment tool for heathy older subjects compared with simple walking. Some learning effect may be present and further reliability studies are needed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  1. Fritz S, Lusardi M (2009) White paper: "walking speed: the sixth vital sign". J Geriatr Phys Ther 32:46–49

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Ferrucci L, Bandinelli S, Benvenuti E et al (2000) Subsystems contributing to the decline in ability to walk: bridging the gap between epidemiology and geriatric practice in the InCHIANTI study. J Am Geriatr Soc 48:1618–1625

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Yogev-Seligmann G, Hausdorff JM, Giladi N (2008) The role of executive function and attention in gait. Mov Disord 23:329–42

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cesari M, Kritchevsky SB, Penninx BW et al (2005) Prognostic value of usual gait speed in well-functioning older people—results from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 53:1675–1680

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Studenski S, Perera S, Patel K et al (2011) Gait speed and survival in older adults. JAMA 305:50–58. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2010.1923

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Purser JL, Weinberger M, Cohen HJ et al (2005) Walking speed predicts health status and hospital costs for frail elderly male veterans. J Rehab Res Dev 42:535–546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kuo HK, Leveille SG, Yen CJ et al (2006) Exploring how peak leg power and usual gait speed are linked to late-life disability: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999–2002. Am J Phys Med Rehab 85:650–658

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Brach JS, Van Swearingen JM, Newman AB et al (2002) Identifying early decline of physical function in community-dwelling older women: performance-based and self-report measures. Phys Ther 82:320–328

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Verghese J, Wang C, Holtzer R (2011) Relationship of clinic-based gait speed measurement to limitations in community-based activities in older adults. Arch Phys Med Rehab 92:844–846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2010.12.030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Atkinson HH, Rosano C, Simonsick EM et al (2007) Health ABC study. Cognitive function, gait speed decline, and comorbidities: the health, aging and body composition study. J Gerontol 62A:844–850

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. McGinn AP, Kaplan RC, Verghese J et al (2008) Walking speed and risk of incident ischemic stroke among postmenopausal women. Stroke 39:1233–1239. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.107.500850

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Cooper R, Kuh D, Hardy R; Mortality Review Group; FALCon and HALCyon Study Teams (2010) Objectively measured physical capability levels and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 341:c4467. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c4467

  13. Rydwik E, Bergland A, Forsén L et al (2012) Investigation into the reliability and validity of the measurement of elderly people's clinical walking speed: a systematic review. Physiother Theory Pract 28:238–256. https://doi.org/10.3109/09593985.2011.601804

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Bandinelli S, Pozzi M, Lauretani F et al (2006) Adding challenge to performance-based tests of walking: the walking InCHIANTI toolkit (WIT). Am J Phys Med Rehab 85:986–991

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Gray M, Paulson S, Powers M (2016) Maximal, not habitual, walking velocity is more highly correlated to functional fitness of community-dwelling older adults. J Aging Phys Act 24:305–310. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2015-0078

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Peters DM, Fritz SL, Krotish DE (2013) Assessing the reliability and validity of a shorter walk test compared with the 10-meter walk test for measurements of gait speed in healthy, older adults. J Geriatr Phys Ther 36:24–30. https://doi.org/10.1519/JPT.0b013e318248e20d

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Kim HJ, Park I, Lee HJ et al (2016) The reliability and validity of gait speed with different walking pace and distances against general health, physical function, and chronic disease in aged adults. J Exerc Nutr Biochem 20:46–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Jette AM, Jette DU, Ng J et al (1999) Are performance-based measures sufficiently reliable for use in multicenter trials? Musculoskeletal Impairment (MSI) Study Group. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 54:M3–6

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Atkinson G, Nevill AM (1998) Statistical methods for assessing measurement error (reliability) in variables relevant to sports medicine. Sports Med 26:217–238

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Bland JM, Altman DG (1996) Measurement error. BMJ 313:744

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Rankin G, Stokes M (1998) Reliability of assessment tools in rehabilitation: an illustration of appropriate statistical analyses. Clin Rehab 12:187–199

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Walter SD, Eliasziw M, Donner A (1998) Sample size and optimal designs for reliability studies. Stat Med 17:101–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0258(19980115)17:1%3c101::AID-SIM727%3e3.0. CO;2-E

  23. Lawton MP, Brody EM (1969) Assessment of older people: Self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living. Gerontologist 9:179–186

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Greig CA, Young A, Skelton DA et al (1994) Exercise studies with elderly volunteers. Age Ageing 23:185–189

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Koo TK, Li MY (2016) A guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research. J Chiropr Med 15:155–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2016.02.012

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Weir JP (2005) Quantifying test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient and the SEM. J Strength Cond Res 19:231–240

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Portney LG, Watkins MP (2000) Foundations of clinical research: applications to practice. Prentice Hall, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  28. Ditroilo M, Forte R, McKeown D et al (2011) Intra- and inter-session reliability of vertical jump performance in healthy middle-aged and older men and women. J Sports Sci 29:1675–1682. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2011.614270

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Smidt N, van der Windt DA, Assendelft WJ et al (2002) Interobserver reproducibility of the assessment of severity of complaints, grip strength, and pressure pain threshold in patients with lateral epicondylitis. Arch Phys Med Rehab 83:1145–1150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Seeman T, Charpentier P, Berkman L et al (1994) Predicting changes in physical performance in a high functioning elderly cohort: MacArthur studies of successful aging. J Gerontol Med Sci 49:M97–M108

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Steffen TM, Mollinger HTA (2002) Age- and gender-related test performance in community-dwelling elderly people: six-minute walk test, Berg balance scale, timed up & go test, and gait speeds. Phys Ther 82:128–137

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Adell E, Wehmhörner S, Rydwik E (2013) The test-retest reliability of 10 meters maximal walking speed in older people living in a residential care unit. J Geriatr Phys Ther 36:74–77. https://doi.org/10.1519/JPT.0b013e318264b8ed

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Hollman JH, Childs KB, McNeil ML et al (2010) Number of strides required for reliable measurements of pace, rhythm and variability parameters of gait during normal and dual task walking in older individuals. Gait Posture 32:23–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2010.02.017

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Tager IB, Swanson A, Satariano WA (1998) Reliability of physical performance and self-reported functional measures in an older population. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 53:M295–300

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Hoeymans N, Wouters ER, Feskens EJ et al (1997) Reproducibility of performance-based and self-reported measures of functional status. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 52:M363–M368

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Almarwani M, Perera S, VanSwearingen JM et al (2016) The test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change of spatial and temporal gait variability during usual over-ground walking for younger and older adults. Gait Posture 44:94–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.11.014

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The study was supported by funding provided by the Irish Research Council for Science and Technology (Grant no. IRCSET2008EMBARKAHSS/STEM).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135, Rome, Italy

    Roberta Forte

  2. Institute for Sport and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Roberta Forte, Giuseppe De Vito & Colin A. G. Boreham

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy

    Giuseppe De Vito

Authors
  1. Roberta Forte
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Giuseppe De Vito
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Colin A. G. Boreham
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization: RF, GDV, CB; Methodology: RF; Formal analysis and investigation: RF; Writing—original draft preparation: RF; Writing—review and editing: GDV, CB; Funding acquisition: RF, CB; CB; Supervision: GDV, CB.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roberta Forte.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical statement

The Ethical Board of University College Dublin approved the study (LS-09-78) which was performed according to the Helsinki Declaration principles.

Informed consent

Participants provided written informed consent.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Forte, R., De Vito, G. & Boreham, C.A.G. Reliability of walking speed in basic and complex conditions in healthy, older community-dwelling individuals. Aging Clin Exp Res 33, 311–317 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-020-01543-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-020-01543-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation