The association of gait velocity and cognitive performance in a sample of older Chinese Americans: A pilot study

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundGait velocity and cognition generally decline as individuals age. Studies have indicated that gait velocity can be used as a simple, novel, and relatively culture‐free cognitive assessment tool in older adults, particularly in domains of memory, attention, and executive function. There is limited research in this area with racial/ethnic minority groups. This study examined the association between performance on specific cognitive domains and gait velocity in older Chinese Americans – a growing, yet underrepresented group in US‐based research.Method71 Chinese American older adults (age 73.6 ± 6.9) with normal cognition (n = 27), mild cognitive impairment (n = 32), and early dementia (n = 12) were included in a pilot study at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at Mount Sinai. Participants underwent a standard dementia evaluation in Mandarin/Cantonese, which included a clinical interview, medical exam, and neuropsychological testing. All participants self‐reported as Chinese Americans who were primarily Cantonese‐ or Mandarin‐speaking. Exclusion criteria included: not proficient in Cantonese/Mandarin, mobility impairment, as well as history of psychiatric disorder(s) and cerebrovascular accident. Diagnoses were assigned at a consensus conference. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine cognitive domains encompassing the neuropsychological battery, which included tests of processing speed/attention, executive function, memory, and language/verbal fluency. Gait velocity was measured with a walking speed test measured in seconds. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the association between gait velocity and cognitive performance, while controlling for age, education, depression measured by Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and lifestyle/medical factors (e.g., tobacco/alcohol use, hypertension).ResultFactor analysis demonstrated 4 principal neuropsychological factors: non‐contextual memory, contextual memory, processing speed, and language/verbal fluency. The regression model showed that lower scores on a test of non‐contextual memory was associated with slower gait velocity. Higher GDS scores were associated with slower gait velocity.ConclusionConsistent with previous studies with predominately non‐Hispanic White samples, we found an association between gait velocity and non‐contextual memory in older Chinese Americans. In contrast to the literature, no other cognitive domains were significant in this small sample. The finding provides preliminary data to support the use of gait velocity as a novel cognitive assessment in this historically underrepresented group.