The Short Physical Performance Battery does not correlate with daily life gait quality and quantity in community-dwelling older adults with an increased fall risk

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Both the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and daily life gait quality and quantity obtained from wearable sensors are used to measure functional status in older adults. It is generally assumed that they are interrelated and exchangeable, but this has not yet been established. Interchangeability of these measures would pave the way for remote monitoring of functional status.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Are the SPPB and daily life gait quality and quantity measures correlated in community-dwelling older adults?

METHODS: The SPPB and gait quality and quantity data of 229 community-dwelling adults of 65 years or older were collected. The SPPB is a combined score of the Three Stage Balance test, Four Meter Walk test, and Five Times Sit to Stand test and ranges from 0 to 12. Participants wore a tri-axial inertial sensor for one week to assess gait quality (e.g. gait stability and smoothness) and quantity (e.g. number of strides). Correlation coefficients between SPPB scores and gait quality and quantity measures were assessed using Spearman's correlation.

RESULTS: The median age of the study population was 76.2 years (IQR 72.6-81.0), and 76 % were women (n=175). The median SPPB score was 10 (IQR 8-11). Spearman's correlation coefficients between the SPPB and gait quality and quantity measures were all below 0.3.

SIGNIFICANCE: A possible explanation for the observed weak correlations is that the SPPB reflects one's maximal capacity, while gait quality and quantity reflect the submaximal performance in daily life. The SPPB and gait quality and quantity seem therefore distinct constructs with complementary value, rather than interchangeable. A more comprehensive understanding of functional status might be achieved by combining the SPPB assessment of standardized activities with the evaluation of inertial sensor measurements obtained during daily life activities.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)78-83
Number of pages6
JournalGait & posture
Volume114
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 10 Sept 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Funding

This research was funded by a research grant (#555002018) from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. SMB was funded by a VIDI grant (016.Vidi.178.014) from the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).This research was funded by a research grant (#555002018) from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. SMB was funded by a VIDI grant (016.Vidi.178.014) from the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Medical Ethical Committee Brabant (project number P2055) on 10 February 2021. All participants signed informed consent and were aware that participation is voluntary. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. Written informed consent has been obtained from the participants to publish this paper. The work described has not been published previously and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The publication is approved by all authors. If the work is accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

FundersFunder number
ZonMw
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk OnderzoekP2055
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

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