Article

Gait characteristics extracted from trunk accelerations during daily
life locomotion are complementary to questionnaire- or laboratory-based gait and
balance assessments and may help to improve fall risk prediction. Objective. The
aim of this study was to identify gait characteristics that are associated with
self-reported fall history and that can be reliably assessed based on ambulatory
data collected during a single week. Methods. We analyzed 2 weeks of trunk
acceleration data (DynaPort MoveMonitor, McRoberts) collected among 113 older
adults (age range, 65-97 years). During episodes of locomotion, various gait
characteristics were determined, including local dynamic stability, interstride
variability, and several spectral features. For each characteristic, we performed
a negative binomial regression analysis with the participants' self-reported
number of falls in the preceding year as outcome. Reliability of gait
characteristics was assessed in terms of intraclass correlations between both
measurement weeks. Results. The percentages of spectral power below 0.7 Hz along
the vertical and anteroposterior axes and below 10 Hz along the mediolateral
axis, as well as local dynamic stability, local dynamic stability per stride,
gait smoothness, and the amplitude and slope of the dominant frequency along the
vertical axis, were associated with the number of falls in the preceding year and
could be reliably assessed (all P < .05, intraclass correlation > 0.75).
Conclusions. Daily life gait characteristics are associated with fall history in
older adults and can be reliably estimated from a week of ambulatory trunk
acceleration measurements.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2014.

Langue : ANGLAIS