Step length is associated with comprehensive frailty status in community-dwelling older people

To examine spatial-temporal gait parameters associated with comprehensive frailty status in community-dwelling, independent older people.

This cross-sectional study included 225 older people (≥65 years) living independently in the community. The Kihon Checklist was used to assess comprehensive frailty status, and participants were classified as robust, pre-frailty, or frailty. A sheet-type plantar pressure sensor was used to evaluate the following gait parameters, which were extracted at the usual and fast pace: gait speed, cadence, stride time, step length-to-height ratio (step length/height), step width, stance duration, double-support time, and variability of each gait parameter. Ordinal logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors was performed to determine the association between gait parameters and frailty status. In addition, the ability to discriminate frailty status was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for gait parameters that were significantly associated with frailty status.

Frailty status was pre-frailty in 79 (35.1%) and frailty in 30 (13.3%) participants. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed a significant association of step length/height (%) at both usual and fast pace with frailty status, even after adjustment for confounding factors (usual pace: odds ratio [OR] = 0.93 [95% confidence interval, CI: 0.86-0.99]; fast pace: OR = 0.93 [95% CI: 0.87-0.99]). ROC curve analysis identified step length/height at fast pace in women as the best discriminator between frailty and non-frailty (area under the curve 0.69, cut-off value 43.4%, sensitivity 50%, specificity 82%).

Step length appears to be a useful gait parameter for discriminating frailty status in community-dwelling, independent older people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 18-24.