Design and Evaluation of an Augmented Reality-Based Exergame System to Reduce Fall Risk in the Elderly.

Meiling Chen,Qingfeng Tang,Shoujiang Xu,Pengfei Leng,Zhigeng Pan

doi:10.3390/ijerph17197208

Abstract

Falls are a major public health concern in today’s aging society. Virtual reality (VR) technology is a promising method for reducing fall risk. However, the absence of representations of the user’s body in a VR environment lessens the spatial sense of presence. In terms of user experience, augmented reality (AR) can provide a higher degree of presence and embodiment than VR. We developed an AR-based exergame system that is specifically designed for the elderly to reduce fall risk. Kinect2.0 was used to capture and generate 3D models of the elderly and immerse them in an interactive virtual environment. The software included three functional modules: fall risk assessment, cognitive–motor intervention (CMI) training, and training feedback. The User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ-S) was used to evaluate user experience. Twenty-five elders were enrolled in the study. It was shown that the average scores for each aspect were: pragmatic quality score (1.652 ± 0.868); hedonic quality score (1.880 ± 0.962); and overall score was 1.776 ± 0.819. The overall score was higher than 0.8, which means that the system exhibited a positive user experience. After comparing the average score in a dataset product of UEQ-S Data Analysis Tool, it was found that the pragmatic quality aspect was categorized as good, while the hedonic quality aspect was categorized as excellent. It revealed a positive evaluation from users.

Highlights

In today’s aging society, falls are a major public health concern
We developed an augmented reality (AR)-based exergame system to reduce fall risk in the elderly and evaluated its user experience
Data from 23 participants were used in the final analysis

Summary

Introduction

In today’s aging society, falls are a major public health concern. According to the World HealthOrganization (WHO), approximately 28–35% of the elderly who are aged ≥65 years, experience falls yearly. In. China, falls are the leading cause of accidental or unintentional injurious deaths among the elderly who are aged ≥65 years. In old people who may be suffering from functional impairment, falls lead to injuries, fractures, disabilities, a lower quality of life, increased mortalities, and an economic burden [2]. Falls occur as a result of a complex interaction of risk factors [3]. In terms of intervention effect or time and energy consumption, active exercise is the best way to prevent falls among the elderly [10]. It is recommended by the World Health

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