Article

The assessment of spatiotemporal gait parameters is a useful clinical indicator
of health status. Unfortunately, most assessment tools require controlled
laboratory environments which can be expensive and time consuming. As smartphones
with embedded sensors are becoming ubiquitous, this technology can provide a
cost-effective, easily deployable method for assessing gait. Therefore, the
purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a
smartphone-based accelerometer in quantifying spatiotemporal gait parameters when
attached to the body or in a bag, belt, hand, and pocket. Thirty-four healthy
adults were asked to walk at self-selected comfortable, slow, and fast speeds
over a 10-m walkway while carrying a smartphone. Step length, step time, gait
velocity, and cadence were computed from smartphone-based accelerometers and
validated with GAITRite. Across all walking speeds, smartphone data had excellent
reliability (ICC2,1>/=0.90) for the body and belt locations, with bag, hand, and
pocket locations having good to excellent reliability (ICC2,1>/=0.69).
Correlations between the smartphone-based and GAITRite-based systems were very
high for the body (r=0.89, 0.98, 0.96, and 0.87 for step length, step time, gait
velocity, and cadence, respectively). Similarly, Bland-Altman analysis
demonstrated that the bias approached zero, particularly in the body, bag, and
belt conditions under comfortable and fast speeds. Thus, smartphone-based
assessments of gait are most valid when placed on the body, in a bag, or on a
belt. The use of a smartphone to assess gait can provide relevant data to
clinicians without encumbering the user and allow for data collection in the
free-living environment.
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Langue : ANGLAIS