title: Combining Gait Speed and Recall Memory to Predict Survival in Late Life: Population-Based Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between gait speed, recall memory, and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort study (last follow-up December 2009).
  
  
  METHODS
  Tuscany, Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individual data from 1,014 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or older with baseline gait speed and recall memory measurements and follow-up for a median time of 9.10 (IQR 7.1;9.3) years. Participants were a mean (SD) age of 73.9 (7.3) years, and 55.8% women. Participants walking faster than 0.8 m/s were defined as fast walkers; good recall memory was defined as a score of 2 or 3 in the 3-word delayed recall section of the Mini-Mental State Examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  All-cause mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 302 deaths and the overall 100 person-year death rate was 3.77 (95% CI: 3.37-4.22). Both low gait speed and poor recall memory were associated with mortality when analysed separately (HR = 2.47; 95% CI: 1.87-3.27 and HR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.16-1.87, respectively). When we grouped participants according to both recall and gait speed, death rates (100 person-years) progressively increased from those with both good gait speed and memory (2.0; 95% CI: 1.6-2.5), to those with fast walk but poor memory (3.4; 95% CI: 2.8-4.2), to those with slow walk and good memory (8.8; 95% CI: 6.4-12.1), to those with both slow walk and poor memory (13.0; 95% CI: 10.6-16.1). In multivariate analysis, poor memory significantly increases mortality risk among persons with fast gait speed (HR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.04-1.89).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In older persons, gait speed and recall memory are independent predictors of expected survival. Information on memory function might better stratify mortality risk among persons with fast gait speed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia Health & Wealth, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marengoni
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Azienda USL Toscana Centro, Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bandinelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Internal Medicine, Gerontology, and Clinical Nutrition, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maietti
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guralnik
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Internal Medicine, Gerontology, and Clinical Nutrition, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zuliani
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Internal Medicine, Gerontology, and Clinical Nutrition, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Volpato
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D009026:Mortality; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D000072797:Walking Speed
keywords: gait speed; older persons; recall memory; survival