Development of a New Cognitive-Motor Outpatient Index in Older People

Aim: To design an index that categorizes older people according to motor and cognitive functions. Materials and methods: An analytical cross-sectional study assessing 38 older people (over 65 years) was performed to design a cognitive-motor outpatient index using the Mini-Mental State Examination, the motor memory test (MMT) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test by principal component analysis. Results: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin values indicated that the sample was adequate. The index resulted in one factor accounting for 100% of the variance. The correlation between index values was -0.829 with the TUG test and 0.815 with the MMT. Cutoff points of the scores obtained from the regression method were: 20% (-0.745), 40% (-0.136), 60% (0.428) and 80% (0.949). Conclusions: The cognitive-motor outpatient index could be used to categorize older people based on motor function and cognitive function; moreover, the index facilitates the evaluation and follow-up of this population by clinicians and researchers.