Is Timed Up and Go Better Than Gait Speed in Predicting Health, Function, and Falls in Older Adults?

Overview

Journal J Am Geriatr Soc

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2011 Mar 18

PMID 21410448

Citations 169

Authors

Laura J Viccaro

Subashan Perera

Stephanie A Studenski

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess whether the Timed Up and Go (TUG) is superior to gait speed in predicting multiple geriatric outcomes.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Medicare health maintenance organization and Veterans Affairs primary care clinics.

Participants: Adults aged 65 and older (N=457).

Measurements: Baseline gait speed and TUG were used to predict health decline according to EuroQol and Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Survey (SF-36) global health; functional decline according to National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) activities of daily living (ADLs) score and SF-36 physical function index; hospitalization; and any falls and multiple falls over 1 year.

Results: Mean age was 74, and 44% of participants were female. Odds ratios for all outcomes were equivalent for gait speed and TUG. Using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.7 or greater for acceptable predictive ability, gait speed and TUG each alone predicted decline in global health, new ADL difficulty, and falls, with no difference in predictive ability between performance measures. Neither performance measure predicted hospitalization, EuroQol decline, or physical function decline. As a continuous variable, TUG did not add predictive ability to gait speed for any outcome.

Conclusion: Gait speed predicts most geriatric outcomes, including falls, as does TUG. The time taken to complete TUG may not add to information provided by gait speed, although its qualitative elements may have other utility.

Citing Articles

Relationship between handgrip strength and timed up-and-go test on hospitalization costs in older adults: a population-based study.

Chua K, Tan K, Tong R, Barrenetxea J, Koh W, Chen C BMC Public Health. 2025; 25(1):290.

PMID: 39849425 PMC: 11760691. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-21489-x.

Association of timed up and go test results with future injurious falls among older adults by sex: a population-based cohort study.

Kim J, Choi S BMC Geriatr. 2024; 24(1):1035.

PMID: 39716046 PMC: 11664902. DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-05588-9.

Feasibility, reliability, and validity of physical function tests and IADL survey questions in women living in rural, highland Ethiopia.

Golan J, Thalacker-Mercer A, Hoddinott J PLoS One. 2024; 19(6):e0288828.

PMID: 38923976 PMC: 11207045. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288828.

The role of different physical function tests for the prediction of fracture risk in older women.

Gregori G, Johansson L, Axelsson K, Jaiswal R, Litsne H, Larsson B J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2024; 15(4):1511-1519.

PMID: 38894558 PMC: 11294044. DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.13508.

Association between Physical Function, Mental Function and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Park H, Thapa N, Bae S, Yang J, Choi J, Noh E J Clin Med. 2024; 13(11).

PMID: 38892918 PMC: 11172678. DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113207.

References

Folstein M, Folstein S, McHugh P . "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res. 1975; 12(3):189-98. DOI: 10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6. View

. Guideline for the prevention of falls in older persons. American Geriatrics Society, British Geriatrics Society, and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Panel on Falls Prevention. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001; 49(5):664-72. View

Podsiadlo D, Richardson S . The timed "Up & Go": a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1991; 39(2):142-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1991.tb01616.x. View

Apfel C, Kranke P, Greim C, Roewer N . What can be expected from risk scores for predicting postoperative nausea and vomiting?. Br J Anaesth. 2001; 86(6):822-7. DOI: 10.1093/bja/86.6.822. View

Sai A, Gallagher J, Smith L, Logsdon S . Fall predictors in the community dwelling elderly: a cross sectional and prospective cohort study. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. 2010; 10(2):142-50. View

Perera S, Studenski S, Chandler J, Guralnik J . Magnitude and patterns of decline in health and function in 1 year affect subsequent 5-year survival. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005; 60(7):894-900. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/60.7.894. View

Pacala J, Boult C, Boult L . Predictive validity of a questionnaire that identifies older persons at risk for hospital admission. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995; 43(4):374-7. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1995.tb05810.x. View

Studenski S, Perera S, Wallace D, Chandler J, Duncan P, Rooney E . Physical performance measures in the clinical setting. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003; 51(3):314-22. DOI: 10.1046/j.1532-5415.2003.51104.x. View

Boulgarides L, McGinty S, Willett J, Barnes C . Use of clinical and impairment-based tests to predict falls by community-dwelling older adults. Phys Ther. 2003; 83(4):328-39. View

10.

Mathias S, NAYAK U, Isaacs B . Balance in elderly patients: the "get-up and go" test. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1986; 67(6):387-9. View

11.

Stretton C, Latham N, Carter K, Lee A, Anderson C . Determinants of physical health in frail older people: the importance of self-efficacy. Clin Rehabil. 2006; 20(4):357-66. DOI: 10.1191/0269215506cr946oa. View

12.

. EuroQol--a new facility for the measurement of health-related quality of life. Health Policy. 1990; 16(3):199-208. DOI: 10.1016/0168-8510(90)90421-9. View

13.

Guralnik J, Ferrucci L, Pieper C, Leveille S, Markides K, Ostir G . Lower extremity function and subsequent disability: consistency across studies, predictive models, and value of gait speed alone compared with the short physical performance battery. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2000; 55(4):M221-31. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/55.4.m221. View

14.

Cumming R, Kelsey J, Nevitt M . Methodologic issues in the study of frequent and recurrent health problems. Falls in the elderly. Ann Epidemiol. 1990; 1(1):49-56. DOI: 10.1016/1047-2797(90)90018-n. View

15.

Verghese J, Holtzer R, Lipton R, Wang C . Quantitative gait markers and incident fall risk in older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009; 64(8):896-901. PMC: 2709543. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glp033. View

16.

Huang W, Perera S, VanSwearingen J, Studenski S . Performance measures predict onset of activity of daily living difficulty in community-dwelling older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010; 58(5):844-52. PMC: 2909370. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02820.x. View

17.

Cesari M, Kritchevsky S, Penninx B, Nicklas B, Simonsick E, Newman A . Prognostic value of usual gait speed in well-functioning older people--results from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005; 53(10):1675-80. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53501.x. View

18.

Montero-Odasso M, Schapira M, Soriano E, Varela M, Kaplan R, Camera L . Gait velocity as a single predictor of adverse events in healthy seniors aged 75 years and older. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005; 60(10):1304-9. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/60.10.1304. View

19.

Nordin E, Lindelof N, Rosendahl E, Jensen J, Lundin-Olsson L . Prognostic validity of the Timed Up-and-Go test, a modified Get-Up-and-Go test, staff's global judgement and fall history in evaluating fall risk in residential care facilities. Age Ageing. 2008; 37(4):442-8. DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afn101. View

20.

Fitti J, Kovar M . The Supplement on Aging to the 1984 National Health Interview Survey. Vital Health Stat 1. 1987; (21):1-115. View