Assessment of Thigh Angular Velocity by an Activity Monitor to Describe Sit-to-Stand Performance.

Jochen Klenk,Alassane Ba,Ulrich Lindemann,Urban Daub,Kim S Sczuka

doi:10.3390/s22041405

Abstract

The assessment of sit-to-stand (STS) performance is highly relevant, especially in older persons, but testing STS performance in the laboratory does not necessarily reflect STS performance in daily life. Therefore, the aim was to validate a wearable sensor-based measure to be used under unsupervised daily life conditions. Since thigh orientation from horizontal to vertical is characteristic for STS movement, peak angular velocity (PAV) of the thigh was chosen as the outcome variable. A total of 20 younger and older healthy persons and geriatric patients (mean age: 55.5 ± 20.8 years; 55% women) with a wide range of STS performance were instructed to stand up from a chair at their usual pace. STS performance was measured by an activity monitor, force plates, and an opto-electronic system. The association between PAV measured by the thigh-worn activity monitor and PAV measured by the opto-electronic system (gold standard) was r = 0.74. The association between PAV measured by the thigh-worn activity monitor and peak power measured by force plate and opto-electronic system was r = 0.76. The Intra-Class Coefficient (ICC) of agreement between the 2 trials was ICC(A,1) = 0.76. In this sample of persons with a wide range of physical performance, PAV as measured by a thigh-worn acceleration sensor was a valid and reliable measure of STS performance.

Highlights

Standing up from a seated position is a prerequisite for physical mobility, but it is associated with falls in frail older persons [1] and in community-dwelling older adults [2].the quality of chair rise performance is associated with muscle mass, and it is one aspect in the construct of sarcopenia [3]
The assessment of STS performance during daily life activity may provide further insights, because STS capacity measured under supervised conditions does not necessarily reflect daily life performance, which has already been shown for gait speed [10]
The association between peak angular velocity (PAV) measured by the thigh-worn activity monitor and peak power measured by force plates and the opto-electronic system was r = 0.76 corresponding to an adjusted R2 of 0.56 (Figure 3)

Summary

Introduction

Standing up from a seated position is a prerequisite for physical mobility, but it is associated with falls in frail older persons [1] and in community-dwelling older adults [2].the quality of chair rise performance is associated with muscle mass, and it is one aspect in the construct of sarcopenia [3]. STS performance is usually assessed in the laboratory as a measure of capacity (performing as fast as possible) under supervised condition by stopwatch [4], by force plates [5], by linear encoders [6], by opto-electronic systems [7], by electromyography [8], or by body-worn sensors [9]. For the assessment of STS transfer performance during daily life activity, only bodyworn sensors are eligible [11]. Age-related differences of STS duration were shown by using a lower back-worn sensor [15] and were confirmed by a recent study focusing on STS performance in younger and older adults during daily life [14]. This study has investigated duration, acceleration, and smoothness of STS transfers measured by a lower back-worn sensor

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Conclusion