Functional profiles of balance and gait in older adults according to the Tinetti and Timed Up and Go tests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v80.119014Keywords:
Older adult, accidental falls, postural balance, geriatric assessment, gaitAbstract
Introduction: Falls in older adults constitute a public health problem due to their functional impact. Jointly evaluating balance and gait better stratifies this risk.
Objective: To identify functional balance and gait profiles in older adults by jointly evaluating the Tinetti scale and the Timed Up and Go test.
Methodology: A quantitative, observational, non-experimental, and cross-sectional study. Eighty-one older adults (≥60 years) participated and were evaluated using a clinical record, the Tinetti scale, and the Timed Up and Go test. The statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Cohen's Kappa (k), Spearman's correlation, and clinical association tests.
Results: The mean score on the Tinetti scale was 25.32 ± 3.93 points (77.8% low risk, 16.0% moderate risk, 6.2% high risk) and 9.96 ± 2.09 seconds on the Timed Up and Go test (63.0% normal, 37.0% moderate). Overall agreement between both tests was 58.0%, with a predominance of the Low-Normal profile (51.9%). Diagnostic concordance was weak (k = 0.22; p < 0.001), detecting 25.9% of participants with low risk on the Tinetti scale but moderate risk on the Timed Up and Go. A significant inverse correlation was found between the instruments, with no statistical association regarding underlying chronic diseases (p > 0.05).
Discussion: The findings support the utility of a combined assessment, as the diagnostic divergence confirms that both tests evaluate complementary and non-interchangeable dimensions of functional performance.
Conclusions: Joint evaluation optimizes geriatric clinical screening. The Timed Up and Go test manages to capture incipient limitations in dynamic mobility before the deterioration modifies the risk category in the observational assessment of the Tinetti scale, regardless of the patient's comorbidities.
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Copyright (c) 2026 María Magdalena Rosado Alvarez, José Antonio Valle Flores, Marco Enrique Almeida Pacheco, Sheyla Elizabeth Villacrés Caicedo, Abigail Elena Burbano Lajones, Mayra Alejandra Quito Vera, Gabriela Domenika Quito Vera
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