Cognitive function and falling among older adults with mild cognitive impairment and slow gait

Aim To examine the association of the combination of slow gait and mild cognitive impairment ( MCI ) with cognitive function and falling in community‐dwelling older people. Methods Participants were selected from the O bu S tudy of H ealth P romotion for the E lderly ( n = 3400), and underwent gait examination and a battery of neuropsychological examinations, including the M ini‐ M ental S tate E xamination and the N ational C enter for G eriatrics and G erontology F unctional A ssessment T ool (tablet version of T rail M aking T est P art A and B , S ymbol D igit S ubstitution T ask, Figure selection task, W ord memory and S tory memory), and were interviewed with a series of questionnaires including medical history, physical activity, geriatric depression scale and fall history. Results Participants were classified into control ( n = 2281), slow gait speed ( SG ; n = 278), MCI ( n = 673) and MCI with SG ( MCI + SG ; n = 168) groups. All cognitive functions were significantly affected by the group factor, even adjusting for participant characteristics as covariates ( P < 0 .001). Post‐hoc analysis showed that the control group had better performance than the other groups, and the MCI + SG group had worse performance than the other groups in all cognitive functions (all P < 0.05). In multiple logistic regression analysis, SG and MCI were independently associated with falling (all P < 0.05), and MCI + SG had a higher odds ratio for falling (adjusted OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.08–3.65). Conclusions Our findings support the idea that slow gait and MCI were related, and concurrently associated with falling. Motor function among MCI subjects should be focused on to assess profile risks. Geriatr G erontol I nt 2015; 15: 1073–1078.