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D. Abreu1, J. Porto2, T. Pontes3, K. Cruz4, J. Belem4, R. Freire Junior4
1Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of Sao Paulo, Health Sciences, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, 2Ribeirao Preto Medical School – University of Sao Paulo, Health Sciences, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, 3Ribeirao Preto Medical School – University of Sao Paulo, Division of General Internal and Geriatric Medicine, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, 4Federal University of Amazonas, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Manaus, Brazil
Background: Gait performance is a marker of organic integrity and has associated with adverse health outcomes and years of education have been associated with disability prevalence and health status. In addition, there are evidences corroborating with the concept the education has a positive impact on cognition at neural levels.
Purpose: To investigate if years of education can be a predictive variable of gait speed among community-dwelling Brazilian older adults.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with a sample of 233 older adults residents in Brazil, aged 60 years and older, both sexes, was conducted. Individuals using psychotropic medication and presenting cognitive impairment identified by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were not included. Socioeconomic data were extracted including sex, age, and years of education. Gait speed (m/s) was assessed using an electronic walkway (GAITRite Platinum 26’, 800 cm long x 90cm wide) recorded at 100Hz. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between gait speed and years of education. Confounding variables (age and MMSE) were adjusted on final model. Association on multiple model was determined by regression coefficient (β), and the general performance of the model by R2. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ .05 (two-sided). This study was approved by local ethic committee at University of Sao Paulo - Ribeirao Preto, SP – Brazil and followed the Helsinki protocol for studies with humans.
Results: The following participants’ characteristics were found: 69.89 (±6.8) yeas old, 5.47 (±5.1) years of education, 24.66 (±4.2) points on MMSE, and gait speed of 1.05 (±0.22) m/s. Multiple linear regression analysis resulted in a statistically significant model (F(3, 229) = 22.82; p = .000; R2 = .230), demonstrating that years of education was able to predict gait speed (β = .240; t = 3.190; p = .002) among Brazilian older adults. The positive correlation between variables demonstrated that individuals with less years of education presented slower gait speed.
Conclusion(s): The higher educational level has a positive impact on cognition at neural levels probably due to accumulate cognitive reserve in late-life. Cognitive processing has an important role on gait performance, particularly among older adults. Our results found that years of education is a predictive variable of gait speed among community-dwelling Brazilian older adults, suggesting that social factors at individual level can affect gait performance.
Implications: The results reinforce the idea that social determinants have influence on organic integrity. Gait as a marker of organic motor chances can be used as additional variable to health monitoring in the Primary Care.
Funding, acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas – Brasil (FAPEAM) [Finance Code 003/2014]
Keywords: Education, Social determinants, Gait performance
Topic: Primary health care
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: University of Sao Paulo - Ribeirao Preto, SP – Brazil
Committee: Ethics committee at Ribeirao Preto Medical School
Ethics number: CAAE: 21609213.7.0000.5020
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
