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Assessment of life expectancy often is an important factor in decisions about whether to continue screening and treatment regimens, but no well-established predictive models are available. Researchers used data from nine cohort studies to assess the value of walking speed as a predictor of life expectancy in about 35,000 community-dwelling older adults (mean age at baseline, 74; predominantly white women). The studies used various walking distances (8–20 feet), and a range of mean baseline walking speeds were reported (roughly 5–11 seconds to walk 20 feet). About 18,000 deaths occurred during median follow-ups of 6 to 15 years.
A significant association was noted between gait speed and 10-year survival, particularly for participants older th…