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70/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 70 out of 100. Prevention and risk

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Background Gait speed and cognitive performance tend to decline with age. A better understanding of the dynamics of the association between gait speed and cognitive status may identify preclinical markers and improve diagnostic assessments. The objective was to quantify the association between gait speed and cognitive status in later life. Methods A systematic search was undertaken of relevant databases for original articles published prior to June 2017, measuring the association between gait speed and cognition cross-sectionally or longitudinally among the community-dwelling population. A meta-analysis pooled results of the mean difference between concurrent measures of gait speed in the normal cognition group compared to non-normal cognition groups. Results Thirty-six studies were selected, providing data from 29,520 participants. The majority of studies reported a significant association between slower gait speed and worse cognitive function in older people. Results of the meta-analysis of 27 studies showed that, compared to normal controls, clinically meaningful reductions in gait speed ranged from 0.11 m/s in those with cognitive impairment, to 0.20 m/s in those with mild dementia, and to 0.41 m/s in those with moderate dementia. Conclusion The strength of evidence for an association between gait speed and cognition was demonstrated by the number and consistency of results, as well as quality of the studies. Identification of diagnostic markers of motor-cognitive risk has led to increasing interest in the effects of interventions for prevention of gait speed loss and cognitive decline in aging.

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APA 7th

Peel, N. M., Alapatt, L. J., Jones, L. V., & Hubbard, R. E. (2019). The Association Between Gait Speed and Cognitive Status in Community-Dwelling Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/gly140

Vancouver

Peel NM, Alapatt LJ, Jones LV, Hubbard RE. The Association Between Gait Speed and Cognitive Status in Community-Dwelling Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. 2019. doi:10.1093/gerona/gly140. PMID: 29917045.

BibTeX

@article{peel2019-29917045,
  author  = {Peel, N. M. and Alapatt, L. J. and Jones, L. V. and Hubbard, R. E.},
  title   = {{The Association Between Gait Speed and Cognitive Status in Community-Dwelling Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis}},
  journal = {The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences},
  year    = {2019},
  doi     = {10.1093/gerona/gly140},
  pmid    = {29917045},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/gly140}
}

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Key findings

A meta-analysis pooled results of the mean difference between concurrent measures of gait speed in the normal cognition group compared to non-normal cognition groups.
Results Thirty-six studies were selected, providing data from 29,520 participants.
The majority of studies reported a significant association between slower gait speed and worse cognitive function in older people.
Results of the meta-analysis of 27 studies showed that, compared to normal controls, clinically meaningful reductions in gait speed ranged from 0.11 m/s in those with cognitive impairment, to 0.20 m/s in those with mild dementia, and to 0.41 m/s in those with moderate dementia.
Conclusion The strength of evidence for an association between gait speed and cognition was demonstrated by the number and consistency of results, as well as quality of the studies.

Why it matters

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that slower gait speed was significantly associated with worse cognitive function in older people, with clinically meaningful reductions in gait speed ranging from 0.11 m/s in cognitive impairment to 0.41 m/s in moderate dementia. The association may help identify preclinical markers and improve diagnostic assessments.

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Study details

Study designmeta-analysis
Participants29,520
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 70/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a meta-analysis pooling many studies. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	The Journals of Gerontology Series A: journal h-index 274 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	12 / 12	A meta-analysis pooling many studies
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	2 / 5	2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	4 / 4	29,520 participants
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 202 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	4 / 5	22.4 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 2.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 3 other studies in this library
Still being cited	3 / 4	Cited 84 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Ruth Eleanor Hubbard: h-index 56 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	The University of Queensland: institution h-index 1,516 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29917045)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	70 / 100	—

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