Comparison of Habitual and Maximal Gait Speed and their Impact on Sarcopenia Quantification in German Nursing Home Residents

Daniel Haigis; Silas Wagner; Gorden Sudeck; Annika Frahsa; Ansgar Thiel; Gerhard W Eschweiler; Andreas M Niess

doi:10.22540/JFSF-07-199

Comparison of Habitual and Maximal Gait Speed and their Impact on Sarcopenia Quantification in German Nursing Home Residents

J Frailty Sarcopenia Falls. 2022 Dec 1;7(4):199-206. doi: 10.22540/JFSF-07-199. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Daniel Haigis^{1

2}, Silas Wagner^{1

2}, Gorden Sudeck^{2

3}, Annika Frahsa⁴, Ansgar Thiel^{2

3}, Gerhard W Eschweiler⁵, Andreas M Niess^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sports Medicine, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany.
² Interfaculty Research Institute for Sport and Physical Activity, University of Tuebingen, Germany.
³ Institute of Sport Science, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Germany.
⁴ Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.
⁵ Centre for Geriatric Medicine, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany.

Abstract

Objectives: Sarcopenia is characterized by loss of muscle strength and muscle mass. The EWGSOP2 specifications include physical functioning determination for quantification of the sarcopenia severity. However, there is a lack in the use of habitual and maximal gait speed and their influence on sarcopenia quantification. We hypothesize differences in sarcopenia quantification using habitual and maximal gait speed.

Methods: Sixty-six residents from five nursing homes were examined. Habitual and maximal gait speed were measured by 4-meter-walking-Test. McNemar-Test and χ²-test were used to identify quantification differences. Effect sizes of both gait speeds were calculated with Spearman's rank-correlation-coefficient.

Results: Significant difference was identified for twenty-two residents in physical functioning classification by McNemar-Test (p<.001). χ²-Test identified a significant frequency distribution for sarcopenia categories between both gait speeds (χ² (df2)=11.215, p=.004; Cramer's V=.412). Significant correlations (p<.05) were only shown for maximal gait speed in variables falls in the last three months (|r_s|=.326), Barthel-Index (|r_s|=.415), and SARC-F (|r_s|=.335).

Conclusions: The use of habitual and maximal gait speed has a significant impact on sarcopenia quantification in nursing home residents. An adapted standardization in the EWGSOP2 specifications should follow.

Keywords: EWGSOP2; Gait speed; Nursing home; Quantification; Sarcopenia.