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Are there different factors affecting walking speed and gait cycle variability between men and women in community-dwelling older adults?

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Abstract

Background

Few studies have examined the relationships between walking speed and gait cycle variability, and muscle strength and postural stability, with a focus on gender differences.

Aim

The aim of this study was to examine whether there are different factors affecting walking speed and gait cycle variability between men and women in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods

The subjects comprised 712 community-dwelling older adults (252 men, 460 women, aged 68.7 ± 4.8 years). Walking speed and coefficient of variation (CV) of step time at a comfortable walking pace were measured. The maximal isometric strength of six lower limb muscles and postural stability were evaluated. Stepwise regression analysis was performed, using lower limb muscle strength and postural stability as independent variables, to investigate the association with walking speed or CV.

Results

For older men, age, body mass index (BMI) and quadriceps setting (QS) strength were significant and independent determinants of walking speed. No variables were identified as significant determinants of CV. For older women, BMI and hip flexion, hip abduction, QS muscle strength were significant determinants of walking speed. Only hip abduction strength was a significant determinant of CV.

Discussion

The results of this study suggest that QS strength is related to walking speed in both men and women, whereas hip flexion and abduction muscle strength are related to walking speed, and hip abduction muscle strength is related to gait cycle variability in older women.

Conclusion

Gender differences exist in factors affecting walking speed and gait cycle variability in community-dwelling older adults.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Health Science, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan

    Wakako Inoue, Tome Ikezoe, Tadao Tsuboyama, Ikuya Sato, Katarzyna Bronislawa Malinowska & Noriaki Ichihashi

  2. Center for Genomic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan

    Takahisa Kawaguchi, Yasuharu Tabara & Fumihiko Matsuda

  3. Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Konoe-cho, Yoshida, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Takeo Nakayama

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  1. Wakako Inoue
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  2. Tome Ikezoe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tome Ikezoe.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. All study procedures were approved by the ethics committee of Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and by the Nagahama Municipal Review Board.

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Informed consent was obtained from all the participants included in the study.

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Inoue, W., Ikezoe, T., Tsuboyama, T. et al. Are there different factors affecting walking speed and gait cycle variability between men and women in community-dwelling older adults?. Aging Clin Exp Res 29, 215–221 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0568-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0568-8

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