What is the Relationship Between Fear of Falling and Gait in Well-Functioning Older Persons Aged 65 to 70 Years?

Rochat S, Büla CJ, Martin E, Seematter-Bagnoud L, Karmaniola A, Aminian K, Piot-Ziegler C, Santos-Eggimann B. What is the relationship between fear of falling and gait in well-functioning older persons aged 65 to 70 years? Objective: To investigate the association between fear of falling and gait performance in well-functioning older persons. Design: Survey. Setting: Community. Participants: Subjects (N=860, aged 65-70y) were a subsample of participants enrolled in a cohort study who underwent gait measurements. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Fear of falling and its severity were assessed by 2 questions about fear and related activity restriction. Gait performance, including gait variability, was measured using body-fixed sensors. Results: Overall, 29.6% (210/860) of the participants reported fear of falling, with 5.2% (45/860) reporting activity restriction. Fear of falling was associated with reduced gait performance, including increased gait variability. A gradient in gait performance was observed from participants without fear to those reporting fear without activity restriction and those reporting both fear and activity restriction. For instance, stride velocity decreased from 1.15±.15 to 1.11±.17 to 1.00±.19 m/s (P