02244nas a2200205 4500008004100000022001400041245011000055210006900165260001600234300001100250490000700261520160000268100002601868700002301894700002001917700002201937700002001959700002301979856003602002 2021 eng d a1872-697600aPhysical Function and Survival in Older Adults: A longitudinal study accounting for time-varying effects.0 aPhysical Function and Survival in Older Adults A longitudinal st c2021 May 24 a1044400 v963 a

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Variation in physical function in older adults over time raises several methodological challenges in the study of its association with survival, many of which have largely been overlooked in previous studies. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between time-varying measures of physical function and survival in men and women aged 70 years and over, while accounting for the time-varying effects of health and lifestyle characteristics.

METHODS: 1,846 women and 1,245 men in the Cardiovascular Health Study followed annually for up to 10 years beginning at age 70-74 years were included. We estimated the effect of gait speed and grip strength on survival over the subsequent year, using age as the timescale.

RESULTS: A 0.1m/s higher gait speed was associated with a 12% decrease in the likelihood of death in the subsequent year among women (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82-0.94). There was no statistically significant effect of gait speed on survival among men (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.03), or of grip strength on survival among women (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-1.00) or men (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97-1.01), over one year.

CONCLUSIONS: Upon using time-varying measures of physical function while accounting for time-varying effects of health and lifestyle characteristics, higher gait speed was associated with increased survival among the women in our study. We found no evidence of an association between gait speed and one-year survival in men, or between grip strength and one-year survival in women or men.

1 aKarunananthan, Sathya1 aMoodie, Erica, E M1 aBergman, Howard1 aPayette, Hélène1 aDiehr, Paula, H1 aWolfson, Christina uhttps://chs-nhlbi.org/node/8784