Abstract 008: Poor Lower Extremity Physical Function Increases Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Events in Older Women: The OPACH Study

Abstract

Background: Good lower extremity physical functioning is paramount to healthy aging as it prevents social isolation, enables civic engagement, and facilitates physical activity. Strong evidence links physical functioning with all-cause mortality, but little is known about its relationship to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: Women (n=5043, mean age=79±7) with no history of myocardial infarction or stroke completed the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) consisting of three timed tasks to assess standing balance, strength (5 chair stands), and gait (4m walk). Results were summarized using prespecified cutpoints yielding a score from 0 (worst) to 12 (best). Women were followed for CVD events for up to 6 years. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated for women with poor, low, moderate, and high functioning (respective SPPB ranges for each group; 0-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12) using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for several covariates including accelerometer-measured moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior. Effect modification of associations between SPPB and CVD by age, MVPA, Reynolds Risk Score, race-ethnicity, and self-rated health were tested by including multiplicative interaction terms in fully adjusted Cox models with statistical significance for interactions set to 0.10. Results: Covariate-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for CVD [ 1.00 (ref.); 0.85 (0.62, 1.15); 0.69 (0.51, 0.93); 0.49 (0.35, 0.68)] and CVD mortality [ 1.00 (ref.); 0.72 (0.45, 1.15); 0.44 (0.27, 0.72); 0.35 (0.19, 0.62)] decreased across poor, low, moderate, and high SPPB subgroups, respectively (p-trend<.001