title: Exploring effective items of physical function in slow walking speed and self-reported mobility limitation in community-dwelling older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine gender differences in regards to the disagreement between walking speed and self-reported mobility limitations, and, furthermore, to explore the items that affect each physical function task by comparing slow walking speed and self-reported mobility limitation in community-dwelling older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects consisted of 1381 community-dwelling men and women aged 65-84 years who were classified into four categories according to a combination of mobility status measured by a slow walking speed (usual gait speed < 1.0 m/s) and self-reported mobility limitation (difficulty walking 1 km). The physical function tests comprised one-legged stance, tandem stance, functional reach, tandem walk, alternate step and five chair sit-to-stand.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of limitations increased more rapidly with age in women than in men for five mobility tasks (P < 0.001). The percent difference between slow walking speed and self-reported mobility limitation was higher in women (24%) than men (19%). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that after adjusting for all covariates, the tandem walk, alternate step and five chair sit-to-stand were identified as effective physical function tests in regards to mobility status as measured by the difference between slow walking speed and self-reported mobility limitation (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tandem walk, alternate step and five chair sit-to-stand are important effective items of physical function and permit good comparisons between slow walking speed and self-reported mobility limitation in community-dwelling older adults.
authors: Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. mijiak@tmig.or.jp
authors: Mi-Ji
authors: MJ
authors: Kim
authors: Noriko
authors: N
authors: Yabushita
authors: Kiyoji
authors: K
authors: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*