Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 23, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
Age Ageing. 2010 Mar;39(2):191-7. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afp250. Epub 2010 Jan 18.
gait variability may be an important predictor of falls risk, but its characteristics are poorly understood.
to examine the relationship between age and gait variability in a population-based sample of older people.
cross-sectional study.
in people aged 60-86 years (n = 412), temporal and spatial gait variability measures were recorded with a GAITRite walkway. Regression analysis was used to model the relationship between age and gait variability adjusting for height, weight and self-reported chronic disease. Further adjustment was made for gait speed to examine its influence on the associations.
older age was associated with greater variability (P < 0.05) in all gait measures. All relationships were linear, except that between age and step time variability, which was curvilinear in women. Adjusting for gait speed changed the magnitude of the age coefficient by 62-86% for temporal variability measures, 25% for step length variability and 5-12% for step width variability.
age is linearly associated with greater intra-individual gait variability for most gait measures, except for step time variability in women. Gait speed may mediate the association between age and temporal variability measures. Further study is needed to understand the factors responsible for the greater gait variability with ageing.
步态变异性可能是跌倒风险的一个重要预测指标，但人们对其特征了解甚少。
在老年人的基于人群的样本中，研究年龄与步态变异性之间的关系。
横断面研究。
在 60-86 岁的人群中（n=412），使用 GAITRite 步道记录了时间和空间步态变异性测量值。回归分析用于建立年龄与步态变异性之间的关系模型，调整了身高、体重和自我报告的慢性疾病。进一步调整了步态速度，以检查其对关联的影响。
与所有步态测量值相比，年龄越大，变异性越大（P<0.05）。所有关系均呈线性，除了女性的步时变异性呈曲线关系。调整步态速度后，时间变异性测量值的年龄系数变化幅度为 62-86%，步长变异性为 25%，步宽变异性为 5-12%。
除女性步时变异性外，年龄与大多数步态测量值的个体内步态变异性呈线性相关。步态速度可能会调节年龄与时间变异性测量值之间的关联。需要进一步研究来了解导致随年龄增长步态变异性增加的因素。
