ArticleBMC geriatrics2021
The sex difference in gait speed among older adults: how do sociodemographic, lifestyle, social and health determinants contribute?
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Association between sociodemographic factors and mobility among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Gait speed and domain-specific cognitive performance in a diverse cohort of the oldest-old: the LifeAfter90 Study.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Association between simplified anthropometric age and functional performance metrics in older Chinese adults: A study on muscle strength, sit-to-stand ability, and gait speed.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- The INSPIRE-T longitudinal observational study centered on intrinsic capacity: baseline data.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2025Observational
- Walking into aging: real-world mobility patterns and digital benchmarks from the InCHIANTI Study.npj aging · 2025Article
- Examination of Proprioceptive Reliance During Backward Walking in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPT · 2025Article
- Prevalence and Fall Risk of Sarcopenia Based on the 2023 Korean Working Group on Sarcopenia Criteria.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Association between oral health and physio-cognitive decline syndrome of older adults in China and its sex differences: a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Association of plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's pathology and neurodegeneration with gait performance in older adults.Communications medicine · 2025Article
- Area Deprivation Index and Frailty Among Older People With HIV.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025Article
- Evaluating handgrip strength and functional tests as indicators of gait speed in older females.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Muscle Mass Adjusted by Body Height is not Correlated with Mobility of Middle-Aged and Older Adults.Current developments in nutrition · 2024Article
- Article
- Correlates of Gait Speed Among Older Adults From 6 Countries: Findings From the COSMIC Collaboration.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2023Article
- Daily walking kinematic characteristics of the elderly in different residential settings: experimental study on Chinese community-living elderly and long-term nursing home residents.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2023Article
- Investigating the efficacy of a tactile feedback system to increase the gait speed of older adults.Human movement science · 2023Article
- Physical and mental functioning trajectory classes among older adults and their association with specialized healthcare use.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Healthcare Application of In-Shoe Motion Sensor for Older Adults: Frailty Assessment Using Foot Motion during Gait.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Changes in Physical Performance among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Six Years.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Association between positive control in self-perceptions of aging and motoric cognitive risk syndrome among Chinese community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
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8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThis study explores whether a sex difference in sensitivity to (strength of the association) and/or in exposure to (prevalence) determinants of gait speed contributes to the observed lower gait speed among older women compared to men.
methodsData from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used. In total 2407 men and women aged 55-81 years were included, with baseline measurements in 1992/2002 and follow-up measurements every 3-4 years for 15/25 years. Multivariable mixed model analysis was used to investigate sex differences in sensitivity (interaction term with sex) and in exposure to (change of the sex difference when adjusted) socio-demographic, lifestyle, social and health determinants of gait speed.
resultsWomen had a 0.054 m/s (95 % CI: 0.076 - 0.033, adjusted for height and age) lower mean gait speed compared to men. In general, men and women had similar determinants of gait speed. However, higher BMI and lower physical activity were more strongly associated with lower gait speed in women compared to men (i.e. higher sensitivity). More often having a lower educational level, living alone and having more chronic diseases, pain and depressive symptoms among women compared to men also contributed to observed lower gait speed in women (i.e. higher exposure). In contrast, men more often being a smoker, having a lower physical activity and a smaller personal network size compared to women contributed to a lower gait speed among men (i.e. higher exposure).
conclusionsBoth a higher sensitivity and higher exposure to determinants of gait speed among women compared to men contributes to the observed lower gait speed among older women. The identified (modifiable) contributing factors should be taken into account when developing prevention and/or treatment strategies aimed to enhance healthy physical aging. This might require a sex-specific approach in both research and clinical practice, which is currently often lacking.
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