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Reference Group Data for the Functional Gait Assessment

ML Walker, PT, PhD, is Associate Professor and Chair, School of Physical Therapy, Health Sciences Building, Room 3118, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529 (USA)
AG Austin, PT, DPT, is Staff Physical Therapist, RehabCare Group Inc, St Francis Nursing Center, Newport News, Va
GM Banke, PT, DPT, is Staff Physical Therapist, Sentara Bayside Therapy Center, Virginia Beach, Va
SR Foxx, PT, DPT, is Physical Therapist and Owner, Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, Newport News, Va
L Gaetano, PT, DPT, is Staff Physical Therapist, Therapy Associates, Chesapeake, Va
LA Gardner, PT, DPT, is Staff Physical Therapist, Sentara Louise Obici Memorial Hospital, Suffolk, Va
J McElhiney, PT, DPT, is Staff Physical Therapist, RehabCare Group Inc, Norfolk, Va
K Morris, PT, DPT, is Staff Physical Therapist, Lewis Gale Medical Center, Salem, Va
L Penn, PT, DPT, is Staff Physical Therapist, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, Williamsburg, Va

Address all correspondence to Dr Walker at: mlwalker{at}odu.edu

Background and Purpose: The Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) is a clinical tool for evaluating performance in walking. The purpose of this study was to determine age-referenced norms for performance on the FGA in community-living older adults.

Subjects: Subjects were 200 adults, ages 40 to 89 years, living independently.

Methods: Each subject completed the FGA one time and was scored simultaneously by 2 testers.

Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient for interrater reliability was .93. Mean scores for the FGA ranged from 29/30 for adults in their 40s to 21/30 for adults in their 80s.

Discussion and Conclusion: Patient performance on the FGA can be compared with age-referenced norms for expected performance. Further research is needed to determine the FGA’s usefulness in tracking clinical changes or predicting falls. The FGA is a reliable test for people without disease, and it is able to detect decreases in gait performance among typical older adults.