Attention function is involved in walking ability under the dual-task condition among the elderly people living in the community

Abstract

[Purpose] Falls among elderly people are a serious problem. A recent study suggested that walking under a dual-task condition caused falls in frail elderly people. In this study, we investigated the factor which depressed walking ability under a dual-task condition. [Subject] The subjects were 161 elderly people living locally. [Methods] Evaluation criteria were 5 m walking time (ST walking time), 5 m walking time while performing calculation (DT walking time), attention function (trail making test part A; TMT-A), and cognitive function (mini-mental state examination: MMSE). Moreover, the difference between ST walking time and DT walking time was calculated (delta walking time). [Results] Multiple linear regression analysis showed that delta walking time was significantly correlated with TMT-A, MMSE (p<0.05), but ST walking was not (p>0.05). [Conclusion] These results suggest that improvement in attention function or cognitive function could prevent falls among frail elderly people.