Gait speed and incident depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis

To systematically review and meta-analyze the association between gait speed and incident depression from published prospective studies in adults.

PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review (PubMed/Embase/Web of Science/PsycINFO, up to 09/05/2025) for cohort studies investigating the associations between gait speed and incident depression. Data on odds ratios (OR) and hazard ratios (HR) were analyzed in meta-analyses separately. The New-Casttle Ottawa Scale was used to assess within study risk of bias. Meta-regression analyses were planned.

From 13.293 records screened, ten studies were included in the meta-analysis. Six studies (n = 13,313; mean age 71.3 years) reporting ORs showed that slower gait speed was associated with an increased risk of incident depression (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI = 1.03-1.66). Four studies (n = 90,729; mean age 71.6 years) reporting HRs corroborated this finding (HR = 1.17, 95 % CI = 1.08-1.28). Meta-regressions revealed no significant moderation by sex, age, follow-up duration, or person-years. All studies exhibited low risk of bias.

Slower gait speed is significantly associated with an elevated risk of incident depression in adults, independent of sex, age, follow-up duration, or exposure time. These findings position gait speed as a potential non-invasive biomarker for identifying individuals at risk of depression. Further studies are needed to integrate speed gait in depression prediction models.