title: Gait Speed and Dismobility in Older Adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To classify hospitalized older patients with slow gait speed, and test the hypothesis that slow gait speed or dismobility is associated with increased mortality risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Acute care geriatric hospital unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Older patients (N=289) admitted to a geriatric hospital unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-year survival determined by medical record review and a search of the National Death Index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the older patients were women (61.6%) and non-Hispanic white (72.3%). A total of 213 older patients (73.7%) had gait speeds ≤0.6 m/s and were classified with dismobility; 17% (49/289) of the sample died during the 2-year follow-up. All but 5 deaths occurred in older patients with dismobility. Older patients with dismobility were more than 2.5 times as likely to die than those with gait speeds >.60 m/s (hazard ratio, 2.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-6.77), after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and comorbidity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A simple and quick screen for gait speed was evaluated in this study of hospitalized older patients. A clinical classification of dismobility could provide the inpatient health care team with meaningful information about the older patients' underlying health conditions and future prognosis, and provides an opportunity to discuss and implement treatment options with patients and their families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Gerontology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Electronic address: gostir@epi.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Glenn V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Ostir
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Gerontology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Ivonne M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Berges
authors.affiliation: School of Health Professions, Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX.
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ottenbacher
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX.
authors.forename: Steve R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Gerontology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Gerontology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: J Richard
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hebel
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Gerontology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Jack M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Guralnik
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016138:Walking
keywords: Aging; Gait; Mobility limitation; Rehabilitation; Survival