Self-perception of health, balance, and fear of falling as predictors of gait speed decline among community-dwelling older women: a longitudinal study

Objective To investigate the association between self-perceptions of general health status, balance, and fear of falling with the decline in usual gait speed (UGS) over 12 months in a prospective study of community-dwelling older women in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods This was an epidemiological, observational, analytical, and prospective study. A total of 94 independent older women were assessed. They were interviewed about their self-perceptions of general health status and balance, using the following response options: very good, good, fair, poor, and very poor. Additionally, the presence of fear of falling (FoF) was assessed through a dichotomous question (yes or no). UGS was measured at baseline and again after 12 months. Binary logistic regression, adjusted for confounding variables, was used to examine the associations between self-perceptions and gait speed decline over the period. Results After 12 months, 24.47% of the participants experienced falls, and 37.24% showed a decline in UGS, with a mean baseline gait speed of 1.19 (±0.24) m/s. In intergroup comparisons, no significant differences were found in age, height, weight, physical activity level, or complications during the follow-up period between the groups with and without UGS decline. Similarly, no significant intragroup differences were observed between baseline and 12-month data for FoF or self-perceptions of general health and balance. Logistic regression analysis revealed no significant associations between self-perceptions and UGS decline. Conclusion Negative self-perceptions were not predictive of usual gait speed decline in community-dwelling older women.