title: Self-Selected Walking Speed is Predictive of Daily Ambulatory Activity in Older Adults.
abstract: Daily ambulatory activity is associated with health and functional status in older adults; however, assessment requires multiple days of activity monitoring. The objective of this study was to determine the relative capabilities of self-selected walking speed (SSWS), maximal walking speed (MWS), and walking speed reserve (WSR) to provide insight into daily ambulatory activity (steps per day) in community-dwelling older adults. Sixty-seven older adults completed testing and activity monitoring (age 80.39 [6.73] years). SSWS (R2 = .51), MWS (R2 = .35), and WSR calculated as a ratio (R2 = .06) were significant predictors of daily ambulatory activity in unadjusted linear regression. Cutpoints for participants achieving < 8,000 steps/day were identified for SSWS (≤ 0.97 m/s, 44.2% sensitivity, 95.7% specificity, 10.28 +LR, 0.58 -LR) and MWS (≤ 1.39 m/s, 60.5% sensitivity, 78.3% specificity, 2.79 +LR, 0.50 -LR). SSWS may be a feasible proxy for assessing and monitoring daily ambulatory activity in older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
authors.forename: Addie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Fulk
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Beets
authors.forename: Troy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Herter
authors.forename: Stacy L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Fritz
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013022:South Carolina; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking; D000072797:Walking Speed