Physical assessment for elderly people via Nike+ iPod

Abstract

C-L. CHAN, Y-G. CHEN, Y-T. LU, Y-C. LIN, K-R. LAI. Physical assessment for elderly people via Nike+ iPod. Gerontechnology 2014; 13(2):175; doi:10.4017/gt.2014.13.02.379.00 Purpose Elderly falls are regarded as one of the most important health issues for the elderly population. In Taiwan, falling is the second most frequent reason of accidental death of elderly people1. However, falling can be prevented. Studies have revealed that people with less fear of falling were more active than those with more fear of falling2. Another study found that elderly's physical function degradation makes gait motion need to be adjusted to enhance their stability of walking and suggested that they should engage in sports activities more and avoid sedentary life3. Walking is quite suitable for the elderly wanting to train their balance, because walking can strengthen lower limb muscles and enhance gait stablility4. The specific aim of this study is to further explore the relationship between the elderly's walking gaits, speed, energy consumption and the balance. Method NIKE+ APPs in iPod® nano is a new technology for people to record their athletic data. It can be used to measure number of steps, distance, time and energy consumption accurately. We used iPod® nano to collect the elderly's walking data and measure heartbeat by another mobile devices App named Instant-Heart-Rate. We compared those elderly with regular walking habits and those without. The Tinetti balance Evaluation Scale was used to test the subjects' balance and gait pre-test and post-test. The Falls SelfEfficacy Scale (FES-I) was used to evaluate their falling risk. Results & Discussion The data of experimental subjects' physical conditions are shown in Table 2, and we have some preliminary results. The average walking speeds for the elderly was consistent with other studies. In our study, female subjects' average walking distance was longer than male subjects and their fall self-efficacy was also lower than the male (lower is better). Walking distance can be a factor of fall self-efficacy. The elderly can walk longer distance would have less falling risk. References 1 Wijlhuizen GJ, Jong R de, Hopman-Rock M. Preventive Medicine 2006;44(3):260-264; doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2006.11.003 2 Chan W-H, Chiu W-H. The impact of aging phenomena on gait. Quarterly of Chinese physical education 2011;25(4):91-99 3 Tien Y-L, Lin K-F. The effects of walking on balance ability in the elderly. Journal of Exercise Physiology and Fitness 2007;5(3):39-45