Abstract
This study aims to provide data on usual walking speed in individuals aged 80 years or older and determine the association between walking speed and related factors in community-dwelling older adults. A cross-sectional study design was conducted to measure walking speed on community-dwelling elders aged 80 years or older in Soc Son district, Vietnam. Walking speed was assessed by a 4-Meter Walk Test with a usual-pace walking mode. Health-related characteristics of participants including risk of falls (The Timed Up and Go test, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), cognitive impairment (Mini-Cog test) and frailty syndrome (The Reported Edmonton Frail Scale (REFS)). Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between a slow walking speed and selected factors. A total of 364 older people were recruited, and the majority were female (65.4%). The overall average walking speed was 0.83 ± 0.27 m/s. The proportion of participants with a slow walking speed (<0.8 m/s) was 40.4%. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that age, female, high fall risk (assessed by TUG test), ADL/IADL dependence and frailty syndrome had a negative effect on slow walking speed in this population. The results could provide useful reference data for further investigations and measures in clinical practice.