Aerobic determinants of the decline in preferred walking speed in healthy, active 65- and 80-year-olds

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_36932
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Title
Aerobic determinants of the decline in preferred walking speed in healthy, active 65- and 80-year-olds
Journal
Pflügers Archiv
Author(s)
Malatesta D., Simar D., Dauvilliers Y., Candau R., Ben Saad H., Préfaut C., Caillaud C.
ISSN
0031-6768
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2004
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
447
Number
6
Pages
915-921
Language
english
Abstract
The preferred walking speed is a common measure of mobility that declines with age and has been related to maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2,max)). The present study determined whether this decline is associated with a higher percentage of the ventilatory threshold in older adults walking at their preferred speed. We compared the preferred walking speed and VO2 at this speed in relation to both VO(2,max) and VO2 corresponding to the ventilatory threshold (TVE) in healthy, physically active sexagenarians (G65, n=10) and octogenarians (G80, n=10) walking on a treadmill. The preferred walking speed was lower in G80 (1.16+/-0.09 m.s(-1)) than in G65 (1.38+/-0.09 m.s(-1); P<0.001). Energy expenditure and the energy cost of walking at the preferred walking speed were not significantly different between the two groups. G80 subjects exhibited significantly higher fractions of VO(2,max) (60.8+/-8.0%) and TVE (74.2+/-7.9%) at the preferred walking speed than G65 (42.9+/-5.0 and 53.2+/-5.7% respectively; P<0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that the fraction of TVE was the main determinant, with a small contribution of height, in the decline in the preferred walking speed in healthy and active elderly subjects (R2=64%; P<0.001). These findings show that with age, walking at the preferred speed requires a higher fraction of TVE. This increase in the relative physiological effort at preferred walking speed could explain the reduction in this gait speed in healthy older subjects.
Keywords
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging/physiology, Aging/psychology, Choice Behavior/physiology, Exercise/physiology, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Oxygen Consumption/physiology, Pulmonary Ventilation/physiology, Regression Analysis, Statistics, Nonparametric, Walking/physiology, Walking/psychology
Pubmed
Create date
19/11/2007 10:11
Last modification date
20/08/2019 13:24
Usage data