Walking speed is a highly valid test , both at habitual and maximum speed .
Both habitual and maximum walking speeds are valid instruments , and they predict death , hospitalization/institutionalization , and decline in mobility
The number of available walking tests has increased dramatically over the past decades .
Therefore , it is highly important to help clinicians choose the most appropriate walking test for a specific setting .
This systematic review aim ed to critically evaluate the reliability , validity , and responsiveness of clinical walking speed in a broad population of elderly persons living in the community , sheltered housing , or institutions .
Is stair climb power a clinically relevant measure of leg power impairments in at-risk older adults?
OBJECTIVE To test the clinical relevance of the  stair climb power test ( SCPT )  as a measure of leg power impairments in mobility-limited older adults . DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from participants within a r and omized controlled trial . SETTING Rehabilitation research gym . PARTICIPANTS Community-dwelling older adults ( N=138 ; mean age , 75.4 y ) with mobility limitations as defined by the Short Physical Performance Battery ( SPPB ) . INTERVENTIONS Not applicable . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES  Leg power  measures included the  SCPT and double leg press power measured at 40 % ( DLP40 ) and 70 % ( DLP70 ) of the 1 repetition maximum . Mobility performance tests included the SPPB and its 3 components :  gait speed ,  chair st and time  , and st and ing balance . RESULTS Stair climb power per kilogram ( SCP/kg ) had correlations of moderate strength ( r=.47 , r=.52 ) with DLP40/kg and DLP70/kg , respectively . All 3 leg power measures correlated with each of the mobility performance measures with the exception of DLP40/kg ( r=.11 , P=.27 ) and DLP70/kg ( r=.11 , P=.18 ) with st and ing balance . Magnitudes of association , as described by the Pearson correlation coefficient , did not differ substantively among the separate power measures as they related to SPPB performance overall . Separate adjusted multivariate models evaluating the relationship between leg power and SPPB performance were all statistically significant and described equivalent amounts of the total variance ( R(2 ) ) in SPPB performance ( SCP/kg , R(2)=.30 ; DLP40 , R(2)=.32 ; DLP70 , R(2)=.31 ) . Analyses of the components of the SPPB show that the SCPT had stronger associations than the other leg power impairment measures with models predicting chair st and ( SCP/kg , R(2)=.25 ; DLP40 , R(2)=.12 ; DLP70 , R(2)=.13 ) , whereas both types of leg press power testing had stronger associations with models predicting gait speed ( SCP/kg , R(2)=.16 ; DLP40 , R(2)=.34 ; DLP70 , R(2)=.34 ) . Stair climb power was the only power measure that was a significant component of models predicting st and ing balance ( SCP/kg R(2)=.20 ) . CONCLUSIONS The SCPT is a clinical ly relevant measure of leg power impairments . It is associated with more complex modes of testing leg power impairments and is meaningfully associated with mobility performance , making it suitable for clinical setting s in which impairment-mobility relationships are of interest
Walking speed is a highly valid test , both at habitual and maximum speed .
Both habitual and maximum walking speeds are valid instruments , and they predict death , hospitalization/institutionalization , and decline in mobility
The number of available walking tests has increased dramatically over the past decades .
Therefore , it is highly important to help clinicians choose the most appropriate walking test for a specific setting .
This systematic review aim ed to critically evaluate the reliability , validity , and responsiveness of clinical walking speed in a broad population of elderly persons living in the community , sheltered housing , or institutions .