Evaluation of gait speed over time in adults with arthritis: Data from the osteoarthritis initiative

Objective: In this longitudinal study across four clinical sites in the United States, gait speed (GS) over time in adults with arthritis was examined. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis using data from the osteoarthritis initiative. A sample of 4450 adults aged 45 years and older, regardless of sex or ethnicity, were included in the analysis. Based on the response to self-reported questionnaires about arthritis, adults were classified into two groups: without arthritis and with arthritis. GS in m/s was assessed using the 20-m-walk test at baseline and over time. A general linear mixed model was used to examine the GS over time in adults with arthritis. Results: The rate of decrease in GS per year was 0.006 m/s after adjusting for age, sex, race, depressive symptoms, and body mass index. In adults, having arthritis was significantly associated with lower GS (β = −0.039, standard error = 0.007, P <.001) compared to those without arthritis. The interaction between arthritis, GS, and time was also significant (β = −0.0013, SE = 0.005, P = 0.017), indicating that the slope changed over time due to the continuous decline in GS (0.006 m/s/year). Conclusions: In adults, having arthritis is associated with lower GS and declined over time compared to those without arthritis, even after controlling for all covariates