Relationships between physical activity and temporal-distance characteristics of walking in elderly women.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between physical activity and walking speed in women 64 years of age and over. Data were gathered from 81 nondisabled women ranging from 64.0 to 94.5 years of age. The women were categorized as sedentary, community active, or exercisers based on a combination of their living situation and level of daily activity. Subjects walked over a 3.84-m recording surface at five different paces, ranging from walking as slowly as possible to walking as quickly as possible. Actual walking speed and length of steps were measured. Stepping frequency and step length relative to leg length were derived measures. Mean walking speeds ranged from 0.43 m/s at the very slow pace to 1.42 m/s at the very fast pace. The walking speeds at the very slow pace were significantly different among the three physical activity groups. At the very slow pace, women who exercised were able to walk significantly more slowly than the other women. The groups were not significantly different at any other pace. Normal walking speeds for all groups were slower than those previously reported for younger women, with the walking speed of the fastest pace of the elderly women being closer to the normal walking speed of younger women. The results of this study indicate that physical therapists need to utilize age-appropriate values as the standard when evaluating performance. [Leiper CI, Craik RL. Relationships between physical activity and temporal-distance characteristics of walking in elderly women.