Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 2, 2026
Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion
Published on: January 15, 2016
Associations between walking speed and participation, according to walking status in individuals with chronic stroke
Iza Faria-Fortini1, Janaine C Polese2, Christina D C M Faria3
1Department of Occupational Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Background:
Reduced walking speed (WS) may lead to restrictions in participation of individuals with stroke, however, the relationships between WS and participation still need to better clarified.
Objective:
To evaluate the relationships between WS and participation and compare the levels of participation of individuals with chronic stroke, who were stratified according to their walking status.
Methods:
One-hundred and five individuals with stroke (58±12 years; 61 men) participated. WS was measured by the 10-meter walking test and reported in m/s. The participants were stratified into three walking status groups: household (WS <0.4 m/s), limited-community (0.4 m/s-0.8 m/s), and full-community ambulation (>0.8 m/s). Participation was assessed by the Brazilian version of the Assessment of Life Habits 3.1 (LIFE-H 3.1-Brazil).
Results:
Between-group analyses revealed statistically significant differences between the household, limited-community, and full-community ambulators regarding the LIFE-H 3.1 total (F = 17.5; p < 0.0001), as well the daily activity (F = 12.3; p < 0.0001) and social role (F = 19.0; p < 0.0001) domain scores. Measures of WS were correlated with the daily activity (r = 0.50, p < 0.0001), social role (r = 0.53, p < 0.0001), total LIFE-H scores (r = 0.53, p < 0.0001), and most of the LIFE-H categories (r = 0.23-0.56).
Conclusions:
WS was significantly correlated with participation and was able to distinguish between individuals with stroke, who had different levels of participation.
