TY - JOUR
T1 - Heterogeneity in Association between Cognitive Function and Gait Speed among Older Adults
T2 - An Integrative Data Analysis Study
AU - Handing, Elizabeth P.
AU - Rapp, Stephen R.
AU - Chen, Shyh Huei
AU - Rejeski, W. Jack
AU - Wiberg, Marie
AU - Bandeen-Roche, Karen
AU - Craft, Suzanne
AU - Kitzman, Dalane
AU - Ip, Edward H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/4/1
Y1 - 2021/4/1
N2 - Background: Increasing evidence shows that cognition and gait speed are associated and are important measures of health among older adults. However, previous studies have used different methodsto assess these 2 outcomes and lack sufficient sample size to examine heterogeneity among subgroups. This study examined how the relationship between global cognitive function and gait speed are influenced by age, gender, and race utilizing an integrated data analysis approach. Method: Data on cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA], Mini-Mental Status Examination [MMSE], and Modified Mini-Mental State Examination [3MSE]) and gait speed (range: 4-400 m) were acquired and harmonized from 25 research studies (n = 2802) of adults aged 50+ from the Wake Forest Older American Independence Center. Multilevel regression models examined the relationship between predicted values of global cognitive function (MoCA) and gait speed (4-m walk), including heterogeneity by age, race, and gender. Results: Global cognitive function and gait speed exhibited a consistent positive relationship among whites with increasing age, while this was less consistent for African Americans. That is, there was a low correlation between global cognitive function and gait speed among African Americans aged 50-59, a positive correlation in their 60s and 70s, then a negative correlation thereafter. Conclusion: Global cognition and gait speed exhibited a curvilinear U-shaped relationship among whites; however, the association becomes inverse in African Americans. More research is needed to understand this racial divergence and could aid in identifying interventions to maintain cognitive and gait abilities across subgroups.
AB - Background: Increasing evidence shows that cognition and gait speed are associated and are important measures of health among older adults. However, previous studies have used different methodsto assess these 2 outcomes and lack sufficient sample size to examine heterogeneity among subgroups. This study examined how the relationship between global cognitive function and gait speed are influenced by age, gender, and race utilizing an integrated data analysis approach. Method: Data on cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA], Mini-Mental Status Examination [MMSE], and Modified Mini-Mental State Examination [3MSE]) and gait speed (range: 4-400 m) were acquired and harmonized from 25 research studies (n = 2802) of adults aged 50+ from the Wake Forest Older American Independence Center. Multilevel regression models examined the relationship between predicted values of global cognitive function (MoCA) and gait speed (4-m walk), including heterogeneity by age, race, and gender. Results: Global cognitive function and gait speed exhibited a consistent positive relationship among whites with increasing age, while this was less consistent for African Americans. That is, there was a low correlation between global cognitive function and gait speed among African Americans aged 50-59, a positive correlation in their 60s and 70s, then a negative correlation thereafter. Conclusion: Global cognition and gait speed exhibited a curvilinear U-shaped relationship among whites; however, the association becomes inverse in African Americans. More research is needed to understand this racial divergence and could aid in identifying interventions to maintain cognitive and gait abilities across subgroups.
KW - Cognitive test
KW - Montreal Cognitive Assessment
KW - Short Physical Performance Battery
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U2 - 10.1093/gerona/glaa211
DO - 10.1093/gerona/glaa211
M3 - Article
C2 - 32841312
AN - SCOPUS:85103682426
SN - 1079-5006
VL - 76
SP - 710
EP - 715
JO - Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
JF - Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
IS - 4
ER -