Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-9-2026
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gait speed is an important indicator of functional status and health outcomes in older adults. Electronic gait mats are common in research, but stopwatches are more feasible in clinical practice. This study compared agreement between single task (ST) gait speed measured by stopwatch and gait mat and described single and dual task (DT) gait performance measured by gait mat.
METHODS: A subset of Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Visit 8 participants completed ST cognitive (serial subtractions), ST gait speed, and DT gait (gait with serial subtractions) on an electronic gait mat; ST gait speed was also assessed by stopwatch. Bland Altman analyses examined agreement between ST gait speed methods. Adjusted linear mixed effects models estimated differences between ST and DT gait parameters.
RESULTS: Among 364 participants (mean 81.8 years, 54.7% female), faster gait mat gait speeds were associated with a greater discrepancy from stopwatch measurements (β: −0.24 [95%CI: −0.31, −0.17]), indicating stopwatch underestimation. Participants exhibited mutual interference under DT, walking slower (mean difference in gait speed: −25.0 cm/s [95%CI: −26.8, −23.2]) with shorter (mean difference in step length: −6.2 cm [95%CI: −6.8, −5.6]) and wider steps (mean difference in stride width: 1.6 cm [95%CI: 1.3, 1.9]).
CONCLUSION: Gait mat and stopwatch measurements showed acceptable agreement, supporting clinical use. However, greater disagreement at faster speeds suggests gait mats may be more appropriate for faster walking speeds. These findings support future investigations of ST and DT gait performance within ARIC and other aging cohorts, including relationships with cognitive decline, mobility limitations, and adverse health outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Hunzinger, Katherine J.; Skow, Laura; Schneider, Andrea L. C.; Griswold, Michael E.; Zhu, Xiaoqian; Ali, Farwa; Lutsey, Pamela L.; Schrack, Jennifer A.; Ferrucci, Luigi; Simonsick, Eleanor M.; and Windham, B. Gwen, "Gait Characteristics in Older Adults Using the Protokinetics Zeno Walkway: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study" (2026). Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers. Paper 17.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/esfp/17
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Language
English
Comments
This article, first published by Frontiers Media, is the author’s final published version in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Volume 18, 2026, Article number 18.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2026.1901340. Copyright © 2026 Hunzinger, Skow, Schneider, Griswold, Zhu, Ali, Lutsey, Schrack, Ferrucci, Simonsick and Windham.