An Optimal Questionnaire Representing Slow Gait Speed(<1m/s) in Community-dwelling Older Adults: The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS)

Objectives This study was conducted to find an optimal questionnaire to evaluate the slow gait speed seen in community dwelling elderly. Design Four questions asking about difficulty in walking were compared against the measured usual gait speed. The questions were: 1) Is it difficult to walk 100 m without help? 2) Is it difficult to walk 300 m without help? 3) Is it difficult to walk around one lap of a 400-meter track without help? 4) Can you cross a crosswalk before the green on the crosswalk light turns red? Participants The subjects were 1479 older adults aged 70 to 84 years who had responded to the four questions and completed gait speed measuring in the first baseline year (2016) of the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. Results Of the four questions, “Is it difficult to walk around one lap of track (400 m) without help?” showed the highest kappa coefficient (0.357), sensitivity (0.61), and negative predictive value (0.82). Conclusion Based on the results of this study, the authors suggest that “Difficulty in walking around one lap of a 400-m track without help” may be the best question to use when evaluating slow gait speed.