Abstract
This study examined the concurrent validity between gait parameters from the GAITRite walkway and functional balance test commonly used in fall risk assessment. Patients were sampled from one geriatric outpatient clinic. One physiotherapist evaluated the patients on the GAITRite walkway with three repetitions in both single- and dual-task conditions. Patients were further evaluated with Bergs Balance scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait index (DGI), Timed Up and Go (TUG), and Sit To Stand test (STS). Correlations between quantitative gait parameters and functional balance test were analyzed with Spearman’s rank correlations. Correlations strength was considered as follows: negligible <0.1, weak 0.10–0.39, moderate 0.40–0.69, and strong ≥0.70. We included 24 geriatric outpatients in the study with a mean age of 80.6 years (SD: 5.9). Patients received eight (SD: 4.5) different medications on average, and seven (29.2%) patients used walkers during ambulation. Correlations between quantitative gait parameters and functional balance test ranged from weak to moderate in both single- and dual-task conditions. Moderate correlations were observed for DGI, TUG, and BBS, while STS showed weak correlations with all GAITRite parameters. For outpatients analyzed on the GAITRite while using walkers, correlations showed no clear pattern across parameters with large variation within balance tests.
Highlights
IntroductionThe world’s population is aging as the proportion of older adults is increasing, while in the western world, 22.1% of the population is expected to be above 65 years of age by the year of 2030 [1]
The world’s population is aging as the proportion of older adults is increasing, while in the western world, 22.1% of the population is expected to be above 65 years of age by the year of 2030 [1].With the population aging, age-related conditions such as falls and problems related to mobility will increase in frequency [1]
For outpatients analyzed on the GAITRite while using walkers, correlations showed no clear pattern across parameters with large variation within balance tests
Summary
The world’s population is aging as the proportion of older adults is increasing, while in the western world, 22.1% of the population is expected to be above 65 years of age by the year of 2030 [1]. In order to prevent falls, older adults who experience more than one fall in a year or who show problems related to gait and mobility should receive examination and fall risk assessment [3,4,6]. This is commonly done in geriatric outpatient clinics, and the assessments often include multiple functional balance tests to ascertain the risk of future falls [7,8]. Studies examining the convergent validity of this walkway compared to functional balance tests in the setting of fall risk assessment are sparse, and, we chose to examine this in a sample of geriatric outpatients
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