Physical dependency and cognitive impairment are both found to increase with advanced adult aging and a positive association has been established between cognition and physical functioning. This investigation sought to determine this association specific to walking speed. Objectives were to determine the association between cognitive-executive function and each of three types of walking speeds in community-dwelling older adults. Types of walking speeds included comfortable, fast, and the difference between the change in comfortable to fast walking speed (Ä FWS-CWS). This exploratory investigation was carried out using cross-sectional measures on 129 community-dwelling older adults aged 66 to 92 years. All participants had been treatment-receiving patients at an outpatient physical therapy clinic. Measurements include the assessment of physical functioning using comfortable and fast self-selected walking speeds. Cognitive-executive functioning was measured using total time-to-complete the Trail Making Task.
Executive function (TMT-B) results of the group ranged from 532.7 to 71 sec (mean 180.4, SD 95.4). Physical function ranged from 0.26 to 1.18 m/sec (mean 0.68, SD 0.23) for comfortable walking speed (CWS), 0.40 to 2.13 m/sec (mean 0.98, SD 0.32) for fast walking speed (FWS), and 0.08 to 1.12 m/sec (mean 0.31, SD 0.19) for Ä FWS-CWS. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated (r = - 0.21, p = 0.12 for CWS and TMT-B; r = - 0.10, p = 0.45 for Ä FWS-CWS and TMT-B). Results lead to the conclusion that the association between Ä FWS-CWS and TMT-B performance appears to be a weak one. Future studies should consider investigating a more physically and cognitively homogenous sample. Although not found to be significant, this study revealed a weak-to-moderate association between comfortable walking speed and the TMT-B. Results provide useful preliminary evidence of an association between walking speed and cognitive-executive function in community-dwelling older adults.
","abstract_html":"<p>Physical dependency and cognitive impairment are both found to increase with advanced adult aging and a positive association has been established between cognition and physical functioning. This investigation sought to determine this association specific to walking speed. Objectives were to determine the association between cognitive-executive function and each of three types of walking speeds in community-dwelling older adults. Types of walking speeds included comfortable, fast, and the difference between the change in comfortable to fast walking speed (├â┬ä FWS-CWS). This exploratory investigation was carried out using cross-sectional measures on 129 community-dwelling older adults aged 66 to 92 years. All participants had been treatment-receiving patients at an outpatient physical therapy clinic. Measurements include the assessment of physical functioning using comfortable and fast self-selected walking speeds. Cognitive-executive functioning was measured using total time-to-complete the Trail Making Task.</p> <p> Executive function (TMT-B) results of the group ranged from 532.7 to 71 sec (mean 180.4, SD 95.4). Physical function ranged from 0.26 to 1.18 m/sec (mean 0.68, SD 0.23) for comfortable walking speed (CWS), 0.40 to 2.13 m/sec (mean 0.98, SD 0.32) for fast walking speed (FWS), and 0.08 to 1.12 m/sec (mean 0.31, SD 0.19) for Ä FWS-CWS. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated (r = - 0.21, p = 0.12 for CWS and TMT-B; r = - 0.10, p = 0.45 for Ä FWS-CWS and TMT-B). Results lead to the conclusion that the association between Ä FWS-CWS and TMT-B performance appears to be a weak one. Future studies should consider investigating a more physically and cognitively homogenous sample. Although not found to be significant, this study revealed a weak-to-moderate association between comfortable walking speed and the TMT-B. Results provide useful preliminary evidence of an association between walking speed and cognitive-executive function in community-dwelling older adults. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gelbrich, Anna Katrin"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Campus Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Exercise Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Roger Newman-Norlund"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:38:14Z","subjects":["Exercise Science","Kinesiology","Life Sciences","aging","executive function","walking speed"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 2012, Anna Katrin Gelbrich"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1205","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Roger Newman-Norlund"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gelbrich, Anna Katrin"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Exercise Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Campus Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Exercise Science","Kinesiology","Life Sciences","aging","executive function","walking speed"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2012, Anna Katrin Gelbrich"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1205"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Physical dependency and cognitive impairment are both found to increase with advanced adult aging and a positive association has been established between cognition and physical functioning. This investigation sought to determine this association specific to walking speed. Objectives were to determine the association between cognitive-executive function and each of three types of walking speeds in community-dwelling older adults. Types of walking speeds included comfortable, fast, and the difference between the change in comfortable to fast walking speed (├â┬ä FWS-CWS). This exploratory investigation was carried out using cross-sectional measures on 129 community-dwelling older adults aged 66 to 92 years. All participants had been treatment-receiving patients at an outpatient physical therapy clinic. Measurements include the assessment of physical functioning using comfortable and fast self-selected walking speeds. Cognitive-executive functioning was measured using total time-to-complete the Trail Making Task.
Executive function (TMT-B) results of the group ranged from 532.7 to 71 sec (mean 180.4, SD 95.4). Physical function ranged from 0.26 to 1.18 m/sec (mean 0.68, SD 0.23) for comfortable walking speed (CWS), 0.40 to 2.13 m/sec (mean 0.98, SD 0.32) for fast walking speed (FWS), and 0.08 to 1.12 m/sec (mean 0.31, SD 0.19) for Ä FWS-CWS. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated (r = - 0.21, p = 0.12 for CWS and TMT-B; r = - 0.10, p = 0.45 for Ä FWS-CWS and TMT-B). Results lead to the conclusion that the association between Ä FWS-CWS and TMT-B performance appears to be a weak one. Future studies should consider investigating a more physically and cognitively homogenous sample. Although not found to be significant, this study revealed a weak-to-moderate association between comfortable walking speed and the TMT-B. Results provide useful preliminary evidence of an association between walking speed and cognitive-executive function in community-dwelling older adults.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Association Between Walking Speed and Cognitive Executive Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Roger Newman-Norlund"],"dc:creator":["Gelbrich, Anna Katrin"],"dc:description.abstract":["Physical dependency and cognitive impairment are both found to increase with advanced adult aging and a positive association has been established between cognition and physical functioning. This investigation sought to determine this association specific to walking speed. Objectives were to determine the association between cognitive-executive function and each of three types of walking speeds in community-dwelling older adults. Types of walking speeds included comfortable, fast, and the difference between the change in comfortable to fast walking speed (Ä FWS-CWS). This exploratory investigation was carried out using cross-sectional measures on 129 community-dwelling older adults aged 66 to 92 years. All participants had been treatment-receiving patients at an outpatient physical therapy clinic. Measurements include the assessment of physical functioning using comfortable and fast self-selected walking speeds. Cognitive-executive functioning was measured using total time-to-complete the Trail Making Task.
Executive function (TMT-B) results of the group ranged from 532.7 to 71 sec (mean 180.4, SD 95.4). Physical function ranged from 0.26 to 1.18 m/sec (mean 0.68, SD 0.23) for comfortable walking speed (CWS), 0.40 to 2.13 m/sec (mean 0.98, SD 0.32) for fast walking speed (FWS), and 0.08 to 1.12 m/sec (mean 0.31, SD 0.19) for Ä FWS-CWS. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated (r = - 0.21, p = 0.12 for CWS and TMT-B; r = - 0.10, p = 0.45 for Ä FWS-CWS and TMT-B). Results lead to the conclusion that the association between Ä FWS-CWS and TMT-B performance appears to be a weak one. Future studies should consider investigating a more physically and cognitively homogenous sample. Although not found to be significant, this study revealed a weak-to-moderate association between comfortable walking speed and the TMT-B. Results provide useful preliminary evidence of an association between walking speed and cognitive-executive function in community-dwelling older adults.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1205"],"dc:rights":["© 2012, Anna Katrin Gelbrich"],"dc:subject":["Exercise Science","Kinesiology","Life Sciences","aging","executive function","walking speed"],"dc:title":["Association Between Walking Speed and Cognitive Executive Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Exercise Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["Campus Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:38:14Z"}