Potentially modifiable risk factors for slow gait in community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review.

Purpose Slow gait speed in older adults is associated with increased risk for falls and fractures, functional dependence, multimorbidity, and even mortality. The risk of these adverse outcomes can be reduced by intervening on potentially modifiable risk factors. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify potentially modifiable risk factors associated with slow gait speed and clinically meaningful gait speed decline in older community-dwelling adults. Methods Literature searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL, Google Scholar, and in the bibliographies of retrieved articles. Results Forty studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative review. Study designs were cross-sectional and longitudinal. Operational definitions of 'slow gait' and 'meaningful gait speed decline' were variable and based on sample distributions (e.g. quartiles), external criteria (e.g. Conclusion Our results suggest that there are modifiable targets to maintain gait speed that are amenable to potential treatment.