Mobility performance impacts mortality risk in community-dwelling healthy older adults in Japan: a prospective observational study

Background The timed up and go (TUG) test assesses balance and mobility performance. Aim This study aims to investigate the association between TUG time and mortality in Japanese older persons and to clarify possible moderation effects on mortality and TUG time. Methods In all, 874 participants who were ≥ 65 years of age completed the TUG test and had their anthropometric parameters and physical functions measured. We investigated the association between all-cause mortality and TUG using a Cox regression model that included confounders, and explored the time associated with mortality using a restricted cubic spline. We also performed subgroup analyses to explore whether age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) affected the relationship between TUG time and mortality. Results The median age and mean follow-up period were 74 and 8.5 years, respectively. Median TUG time was 7.4 s and the prevalence of mortality was 25.7%. TUG time in one second was positively associated with an increased risk of total mortality [hazard ratio (HR): 1.054 (1.016–1.093); P = 0.005] in the Cox regression model. The positive association of mortality and TUG time was present when the TUG was over 10.5 s in the restricted cubic spline curve. Older age (75 years or older) moderated the relationship between TUG time and mortality [ P interaction = 0.096]. Conclusion This study demonstrates that TUG time is associated with all-cause mortality in Japanese older adults.