(23-07-09) Characteristics of 400-meter walk test performance and subsequent mortality in older adults.

Vestergaard S, Patel KV, Bandinelli S, Ferrucci L, Guralnik JM.
Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-9205, USA. [email protected]

The purpose was to examine the relationship between performance in the 400-meter walking test and mortality. Data are from a population-based sample of 948 Italian men and women > or =65 years. The main outcome measures that were assessed comprised time to complete the 400-meter walk, 20-meter lap time coefficient of variation, need to rest during the test, and ability to complete the walk. All-cause mortality was ascertained over a 6-year follow-up period. Data were analyzed with proportional hazard logistic and linear regression analyses. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, all 400-meter walking test variables except need to rest were associated with mortality. After further adjusting for the Mini-Mental State Examination, symptoms of depression, education, smoking, body mass index, being sedentary/minimally active, disease burden, and lower extremity performance (Short Physical Performance Battery score), both time to complete the 400-meter walk and lap time coefficient of variation were significant independent predictors of mortality. We conclude that multiple aspects of performance in the 400-meter walk test provide complementary information on mortality prognosis in older persons.

Source: Rejuvenation Res. 2009 Jun;12(3):177-84

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