Associations of walking impairment with visual impairment, depression, and cognitive function in U.S. older adults: NHANES 2013–2014

BACKGROUND: Walking impairment, a common health problem among older adults, has been linked to poor vision and mental health. This study aimed to investigate the associations of walking impairment with visual impairment, depression, and cognitive function in older adults. METHODS: A total of 1,489 adults aged 60 years and older who had participated in the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2014 in the United States were included. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the associations of walking impairment with visual impairment, depression, and four subdomains of cognitive function. Sample weights were used to ensure the generalizability of the results. RESULTS: Among all the participants (median age = 68 years; 53.7% women), 17.5% reported walking impairment. Walking impairment was significantly associated with visual impairment (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.76; 95% CI: 1.47–5.20) and depression (aOR = 4.66; 95% CI: 3.11–6.99). Walking impairment was only associated with the Digit Symbol Substitution (DSST) subdomain of cognitive function in total participants (aOR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.95–0.99) and in non-Hispanic white adults (aOR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.94–0.98). Participants with two or three impairment indicators had a higher OR of walking impairment (aOR = 3.64, 95% CI = 2.46–5.38) than those with 0–1 (reference group) impairment indicator. CONCLUSIONS: Walking impairment was associated with visual impairment, depression, and cognitive impairment in American older adults and also positively associated with the number of impairment indicators. The association between walking impairment and cognitive impairment varied according to race. Evaluations of vision, cognition, and depression should be conducted among older adults with walking impairment, and the needs of older adults should be provided in the evaluations alongside information on the biological aspects of their particular race. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-022-03189-y.