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Gait variability is associated with brain abnormalities, falls, and disability in older adults. The Enhanced Gait Variability Index (EGVI), a composite measure of gait variability, offers advantages over traditional measures of variability for individual spatiotemporal parameters (STPs). Gait assessment under complex conditions may reveal additional information about performance and provide insight into potential abnormalities. The EGVI has not been investigated in older adults while performing a concurrent motor task.To examine dual-task cost of the EGVI and STPs in a sample of community-dwelling older adults.Thirty-eight community-dwelling older adults (mean age = 72.5 years) walked at self-selected speeds on an instrumented walkway under a single-task (ST) and a motor dual-task (DT) condition. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the EGVI, STPs included in the EGVI, and several other common STPs (cadence, stride width, percent double-support). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests assessed differences in each gait variable between conditions. Dual-task cost (DTC) was calculated for each gait variable.Going from ST to DT walking, EGVI scores increased significantly (104.5 ± 8.4 to 125.1 ± 10.8, p .001). Participants also increased double-support (p .001) and stance time (p .01), while decreasing stride velocity (p .001), step length (p .001), and single-support time (p .05). Significant changes were not observed for cadence, stride width, or step time. Stride velocity and EGVI showed the greatest DTC.When confronted with a concurrent motor dual-task, older adults responded by increasing their EGVI and altering several STPs. The EGVI is a single composite measure that may have utility under ST and DT conditions to enhance understanding of gait variability in older adults. Further research should examine if DTC of EGVI scores predict meaningful constructs such as falls, participation, and self-rated health in older adults.

The projected rise in the number of older adults warrants increased attention to selecting reliable and meaningful clinical assessments. Compared to more frequently used balance measures, step execution time (SET) has not been studied extensively. The purpose of the current study was twofold. First, we investigated the association of several balance measures [SET, Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC-6), Five-times-sit-to-stand (5TSTS), Four-square step test (4SST), and maximum step length (MSL)] with participation (LIFE-H). Second, reliability of SET was investigated. The study included 32 community-dwelling older adults between the ages of 65 and 83 years (88% White, 66% female). Results indicated that SET was the only balance measure associated with both participation accomplishment (r = -.54, p = .001) and participation satisfaction (r = -.55, p = .001); 5TSTS (r = -.64, p < .001) and 4SST (r = .37, p = .039) were also significantly correlated with participation accomplishment while MSL (r = .37, p = .040) showed a significant association with participation satisfaction. SET demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = .92). Bland-Altman analysis determined the 95% Limits of Agreement to be -258.5 ms to +271.5 ms (mean difference = 6.5 ms; 95% CI of difference = -43.1 to 56.1), suggesting that bias was not a concern. SEM (100.5 ms) and MDC95 (278.5 ms) for SET represented 9.3% and 25.8% of the mean, respectively. Collectively, findings suggest that SET may have clinical utility as a reliable assessment in older adults that relates to meaningful constructs, such as participation.

Balance confidence assessment in older adults has implications for falls and quality of life. It remains unclear whether the original Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC-16) scale or the shortened 6-item (ABC-6) scale is recommended. To further inform the decision-making process of balance confidence tool selection, a secondary analysis of an existing dataset consisting of 77 community-dwelling older adults was performed. ABC-16 and ABC-6 association and agreement, internal consistencies, and relationships with self-rated health (SRH) were assessed. Participants were primarily female (80.5%) between the ages of 60 and 87 years. Results indicated a strong association between the scales [r = .97, p

A B S T R A C T Fear of falling and mobility restrictions have a significant negative impact on the quality of life of older adults. Because older African American adults are at increased risk for various modifiable health problems, understanding potential constraints on their overall health and mobility is critical in this population. The current study investigated this issue by analyzing a dataset of 449 older African American adults (mean age = 72.3 years) living in Detroit. We characterized and investigated the relationships among the following falls- and health-related variables: previous falls, falls efficacy, mobility, self-rated health (SRH), and depression and well-being. As a whole, participants reported moderate health and well-being, little depression, few mobility problems (mean = 8.4/40), and very high falls efficacy (mean = 94.9/100) despite the fact that a quarter of the sample experienced a fall within the past year. Correlation results indicated that previous falls, falls efficacy, mobility, SRH and depression and well-being were all inter-related. Regression analyses revealed that higher falls efficacy was more closely associated with better SRH than was having previously fallen. Findings suggest that improving falls efficacy in older African American adults may be beneficial to their mobility and overall health and well-being. Further, by asking a single-item SRH question, clinicians may be able to quickly identify older African American adults who have low falls efficacy and are at high risk for falling.

Active engagement in life is a critical factor for successful aging. Research indicates that community engagement is strongly associated with health and well-being in late life. However, less is understood regarding the influence of neighborhood conditions on health and well-being, particularly in older African-American adults. The current study describes a convenience sample of older African Americans ( N = 501, mean age = 70.7 [range 55–95] years) living in Detroit. The specific goal is to examine the relationships between their perceptions of neighborhood conditions, level of community engagement, and their health and well-being. Survey findings reveal a sample of highly engaged older African Americans in reasonable health who perceive their neighborhoods favorably. Regression analysis results indicate that community engagement is closely associated with both neighborhood perceptions and well-being in this sample. We propose that community engagement or “participation” mediates the relationship between neighborhood conditions and well-being for older African Americans living in Detroit.