The association of pain, race and slow gait speed in older adults

Gait speed is an important indicator of mobility and quality of life in older adults. Pain is related to gait speed; however, it is unknown if this relationship varies by race in a population based national sample. The aim of this study was to examine if the association between slow gait speed and pain differed between 7,025 older African Americans and non Hispanic Whites in the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Those with pain in the last month had higher odds of slow gait speed (odds ratio  = 1.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.10 - 1.73) than those without pain.
Source: Geriatric Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Source Type: research