EDITORIAL BRADYPEDIA: IS GAIT SPEED READY FOR CLINICAL USE?

878 Mobility, or locomotion, could be considered a distinguishing feature of the entire animal kingdom. It is central to the ability to obtain food, escape danger and survive. Interestingly, across virtually all animal species, aging is associated with generalized slowing of movement (1-3). In humans, the capacity to move underlies many basic and community functions necessary for independence. For these reasons, a simple indicator of mobility has the potential to serve as a core indicator of health and function in aging and disease. In the current issue of JNHA, a Task Force of the International Academy on Nutrition and Aging has made an invaluable contribution to the field of mobility and aging by summarizing the literature on the predictive capacity of usual gait speed in older persons (4). Using rigorous methods to identify sources of evidence, they combined information from diverse aging populations and used high priority outcomes to assess potential validity. Gait speed was a powerful predictor of survival, disability, hospitalization or institutionalization, dementia and falls. The Task Force also considered practical issues related to feasibility in clinical settings in order to generate initial