Changes in gait speed of 0.10 to 0.20 m s(-1 ) may be important across multiple patient groups
RATIONALE , AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Walking speed is an important performance variable , but information on the minimal clinical ly important difference ( MCID ) for the measure has not been consoli date d. In this review , we aim ed to summarize information on the MCID for change in comfortable gait speed measurements for patients with pathology .
Slow walking speed and cardiovascular death in well functioning older adults: prospective cohort study
Objective To study the relation between low walking speed and the risk of death  in older people , both overall and with regard to the main causes of death . Design Prospect i ve cohort study . Setting Dijon centre ( France ) of the Three-City study . Participants 3208 men and women aged ≥65 living in the community , recruited from 1999 to 2001 , and followed for an average of 5.1 years . Main outcome measures Mortality , overall and according to the main causes of death , by thirds of baseline walking speed ( measured at maximum speed over six metres ) , adjusted for several potential confounders ; Kaplan-Meier survival curves by thirds of baseline walking speed . Vital status during follow-up . Causes of death . Results During 16 414 person years of follow-up , 209 participants died ( 99 from cancer , 59 from cardiovascular disease , 51 from other causes ) . Participants in the lowest third of baseline walking speed had an increased risk of death ( hazard ratio 1.44 , 95 % confidence interval 1.03 to 1.99 ) compared with the upper thirds . Analyses for specific causes of death showed that participants with low walking speed had about a threefold increased risk of cardiovascular death ( 2.92 , 1.46 to 5.84 ) compared with participants who walked faster . There was no relation with cancer mortality ( 1.03 , 0.65 to 1.70 ) . In stratified analyses , cardiovascular mortality was increased across various strata defined by sex , median age , median body mass index ( BMI ) , and level of physical activity . Conclusion Slow walking speed  in older people is strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality
Changes in gait speed of 0.10 to 0.20 m s(-1 ) may be important across multiple patient groups
RATIONALE , AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Walking speed is an important performance variable , but information on the minimal clinical ly important difference ( MCID ) for the measure has not been consoli date d. In this review , we aim ed to summarize information on the MCID for change in comfortable gait speed measurements for patients with pathology .