Age-Related Differences in Gait Parameters and Their Association With Fall Risk in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Falls are a major cause of morbidity and functional decline among older adults, yet early gait-based markers of fall risk remain unclear. Objective To examine age-related differences in spatiotemporal gait parameters and their associations with fall risk among older adults. Methods Two hundred participants aged 65 years or older were classified into four age groups and two fall-risk levels using a standardized Fall Risk Assessment. Gait parameters were measured with the IB-GAIT system. Results With increasing age, stride length and walking speed decreased, while stance and double support phases increased ( p trend < 0.001). High-risk individuals showed shorter stride lengths, slower walking speeds, and longer stance phases than low-risk counterparts ( p < 0.05). Height-adjusted stride length correlated with Fall Risk Assessment components (r = 0.36, p < 0.001), and those in the shortest quartile had over eightfold higher odds of high fall risk. Conclusion Height-adjusted stride length indicates fall risk.