Gender-related differences in maximum gait speed and daily physical activity in elderly hospitalized cardiac inpatients

Maximum gait speed and physical activity (PA) relate to mortality and morbidity, but little is known about gender-related differences in these factors in elderly hospitalized cardiac inpatients. This study aimed to determine differences in maximum gait speed and daily measured PA based on sex and the relationship between these measures in elderly cardiac inpatients. A consecutive 268 elderly Japanese cardiac inpatients (mean age, 73.3 years) were enrolled and divided by sex into female (n=75, 28%) and male (n=193, 72%) groups. Patient characteristics and maximum gait speed, average step count, and PA energy expenditure (PAEE) in kilocalorie per day for 2 days assessed by accelerometer were compared between groups. Gait speed correlated positively with in-hospital PA measured by average daily step count (r=0.46, P<0.001) and average daily PAEE (r=0.47, P<0.001) in all patients. After adjustment for left ventricular ejection fraction, step counts and PAEE were significantly lower in females than males (2651.35±1889.92 vs 4037.33±1866.81 steps, P<0.001; 52.74±51.98 vs 99.33±51.40 kcal, P<0.001), respectively. Maximum gait speed was slower and PA lower in elderly female versus male inpatients. Minimum gait speed and step count values in this study might be minimum target values for elderly male and female Japanese cardiac inpatients.