[Clinical application of the "Stop walking while talking test". Relationship with geriatric assessment parameters and other tests of balance and gait]

To assess the relationship between the Stop Walking While Talking (SWWT) test and some parameters of the geriatric assessment, as well as other tests of balance and gait.

A prospective, observational and cross-sectional study conducted on 108 patients (62% women), with a mean age of 80.5±8.4 years. Twenty-three of them were living at home, 24 in a nursing home, and 61 in an intermediate care unit. A record was made of the Barthel index, Mini-Mental State Examination of Folstein (MMSE), comorbidity (Charlson index), the presence of previous falls, and fear of falling. Timed Up and Go (TUG), Tinetti test, and Stop Walking While Talking (SWWT) test, were performed on all the patients. Based on the results of the SWWT test patients were divided in two groups: "stoppers" and "non-stoppers". All patients were able to walk (with or without walking aids).

The stoppers group of patients had a mean age 82.2±8.7; Barthel index 64.6±20.7; MMSE 21.6±5.1; Charlson index 1.8±1.7, and the non-stoppers 78.5±7.6 (P=.024), 86.0±18.1 (P<.001), 24.3±4.0 (P=.004), and 1.3±1.6 (P=.130), respectively. Of the 58 stoppers patients, 39 (67.2%) had a previous fall, and 19 (32.8%) had not (P=.002); 43 (74.1%) had fear of falling, and 15 (25.9%) had not (P<0.009). Of the 63 patients with TUG>20seconds, 52 (82.5%) were stoppers and 11 (17.5%) non-stoppers. Of the 31 with TUG between 10-20seconds, 5 (16.1%) were stoppers and 26 (83.9%) non-stoppers. Of the 14 with TUG<10 seconds, 1 (7.1%) were stoppers, and 13 (92.9%) non-stoppers (P<0.0001). The score of Tinetti test in the stoppers group was 15.4±5.2, and in non-stoppers 23.9±4.6 (P<0.001).

Those in the stopper group were significantly older, were more dependent in activities of daily living, had greater cognitive impairment, more previous falls, had greater fear of falling, lower scores on the Tinetti test, and longer times in the TUG.