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Updated: Jun 14, 2025
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
Handgrip strength and gait speed relationships with cognitive impairment in Iranian older adults: Birjand
Amirabbas Nikkhah1, Hossein Fakhrzadeh2, Mitra Moodi3
1School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Background:
Cognitive impairment prevalence is rising with population aging. This study examined the relationship between handgrip strength and gait speed with cognitive impairment and performance in older adults.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study used baseline data from Birjand Longitudinal Aging Study (BLAS), including 1347 older adults. Cognitive function was evaluated using the six-item Cognitive Impairment Test (6-CIT). Gait speed was measured over six meters, and grip strength was assessed with hand dynamometers.
Results:
After adjusting for potential confounders, the association between low handgrip strength and cognitive impairment lost its significance (relative risk ratio (RRR) = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.70, 1.63). However, low gait speed remained significantly associated with dementia (RRR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.23, 3.01) after adjusting for age, sex, education, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, and depressive symptoms.
Conclusion:
Low gait speed is significantly associated with dementia, highlighting the importance of incorporating physical function measures into dementia risk assessments.
