Table 3.

Quantitative Gait Markers and Risk for Falls

Variables	Median (interquartile range)	Unit Change	All Falls (model 1)*		All Falls (model 2)†		Injurious Falls†
			Risk Ratio (95% confidence interval)	p Value	Risk Ratio (95% confidence interval)	p Value	Risk Ratio (95% confidence interval)	p Value
Speed	95.10 cm/s (77.70–108.90)	10 cm/s decrease	1.078 (1.025–1.134)	.003	1.069 (1.001–1.142)	.046	1.053 (0.976–1.141)	.249
Cadence	101.80 step/min (93.80–109.10)	10-step decrease	1.085 (0.994–1.184)	.07	1.017 (0.983–1.183)	.11	1.071 (0.950–1.211)	.263
Stride length	112.50 cm (96.88–123.87)	10-cm decrease	1.095 (1.031–1.162)	.003	1.066 (0.984–1.155)	.118	1.001 (0.924–1.131)	.668
Swing phase	36.60% (34.70–38.40)	10% decrease	1.503 (1.132–2.009)	.006	1.406 (1.027–1.926)	.034	0.900 (0.571–1.421)	.644
Double-support  phase	26.60% (23.50–30.40)	10% increase	1.207 (1.082–1.347)	<.001	1.165 (1.026–1.321)	.018	1.031 (0.821–1.290)	.794
Stride length  variability‡	3.60% (2.48–5.56)	10% increase	1.086 (1.052–1.120)	<.001	1.076 (1.030–1.111)	<.001	1.128 (1.091–1.170)	<.001
Swing time  variability‡	5.17% (2.85–7.62)	10% increase	1.007 (1.005–1.009)	<.001	1.007 (1.004–1.010)	<.001	1.011 (1.008–1.015)	<.001

Notes: Risk ratios reported in terms of unit changes in variables (see Methods section).

^*Model 1 is adjusted for age, sex, and years of education.

^†Model 2 in addition was adjusted for falls in previous year, illness index, medications, disability scores, Blessed test scores, clinical gait abnormalities, and unipedal stance time.

^‡Variability reported as coefficient of variation (100 × standard deviation/mean).