Luis Polo-Ferrero, Javier Torres-Alonso, María Carmen Sánchez-Sánchez, Ana Silvia Puente-González, Fausto J Barbero-Iglesias, Roberto Méndez-Sánchez
{"title":"The Predictive Capacity of the 3-Meter Backward Walk Test for Falls in Older Adults: A Case-Control Analysis.","authors":"Luis Polo-Ferrero, Javier Torres-Alonso, María Carmen Sánchez-Sánchez, Ana Silvia Puente-González, Fausto J Barbero-Iglesias, Roberto Méndez-Sánchez","doi":"10.3390/jfmk10020154","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background</b>: The early detection of fall risk in older adults is crucial for prevention. This study assessed the 3-Meter Backward Walk Test (3m-BWT) as a predictor of falls. <b>Methods</b>: A retrospective observational case-control study was conducted with 483 community-dwelling participants (mean age 76.3 ± 6.5 years), including 101 individuals with a history of falls in the previous 12 months. A standardized battery of functional assessments was applied. <b>Results</b>: Significant differences were observed between fallers and non-fallers across all functional variables (<i>p</i> < 0.001), with fallers demonstrating slower performance on the 3m-BWT (6.8 ± 3.4 s vs. 5.1 ± 1.3 s). The 3m-BWT showed moderate correlations with Short Physical Performance Battery, 5-repetition Sit-to-Stand, gait speed, and 4-Square Step Test, and a moderate-to-strong correlation with Timed Up-and-Go (r = 0.632), even after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI. Although the 3m-BWT exhibited superior discriminative ability compared to other tests (AUC = 0.655), its predictive power in isolation remains limited. The optimal cut-off point was identified at 5.5 s (sensitivity: 59.5%; specificity: 68.6%), while a threshold of <3.5 s yielded high sensitivity (98%) but low specificity, supporting its use in fall risk screening. <b>Conclusions</b>: These findings support the integration of the 3m-BWT as a complementary tool within comprehensive geriatric assessments, particularly in contexts requiring high sensitivity. Given the multifactorial nature of falls, combining the 3m-BWT with other clinical evaluations and fall history is recommended to enhance risk stratification and inform preventive strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":16052,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology","volume":"10 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12101408/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10020154","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"SPORT SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The early detection of fall risk in older adults is crucial for prevention. This study assessed the 3-Meter Backward Walk Test (3m-BWT) as a predictor of falls. Methods: A retrospective observational case-control study was conducted with 483 community-dwelling participants (mean age 76.3 ± 6.5 years), including 101 individuals with a history of falls in the previous 12 months. A standardized battery of functional assessments was applied. Results: Significant differences were observed between fallers and non-fallers across all functional variables (p < 0.001), with fallers demonstrating slower performance on the 3m-BWT (6.8 ± 3.4 s vs. 5.1 ± 1.3 s). The 3m-BWT showed moderate correlations with Short Physical Performance Battery, 5-repetition Sit-to-Stand, gait speed, and 4-Square Step Test, and a moderate-to-strong correlation with Timed Up-and-Go (r = 0.632), even after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI. Although the 3m-BWT exhibited superior discriminative ability compared to other tests (AUC = 0.655), its predictive power in isolation remains limited. The optimal cut-off point was identified at 5.5 s (sensitivity: 59.5%; specificity: 68.6%), while a threshold of <3.5 s yielded high sensitivity (98%) but low specificity, supporting its use in fall risk screening. Conclusions: These findings support the integration of the 3m-BWT as a complementary tool within comprehensive geriatric assessments, particularly in contexts requiring high sensitivity. Given the multifactorial nature of falls, combining the 3m-BWT with other clinical evaluations and fall history is recommended to enhance risk stratification and inform preventive strategies.