scholarly journals Psychometric Properties of Instrumented Postural Sway Measures Recorded in Community Settings in Independent Living Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bader Alqahtani ◽  
Patrick J. Sparto ◽  
Susan L. Whitney ◽  
Susan L. Greenspan ◽  
Subashan Perera ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: In the last few decades, research related to balance in older adults has been conducted in lab-based settings. The lack of portability and high cost that is associated with the current gold standard methods to quantify body balance, limits their application to community settings such as independent living facilities. The purpose of the study was to examine the test-retest reliability and the convergent validity of static standing balance performance using an accelerometer device. Methods: A total of 131 subjects (85% female, mean age 80 ± 8 years) were included for the validity aim, and a sample of 38 subjects were enrolled in the reliability testing (89% female, mean age 76 ± 7 years). Acceleration data in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions was collected for different standing balance conditions. Test-retest reliability was assessed over two testing visits occurring one week apart. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to test convergent validity at baseline. Results: Balance measurements showed good to excellent reliability in most of measured parameters and were correlated with mobility measurements. Conclusions: Using a portable accelerometer to quantify static standing postural control provides reliable measurements in community settings.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bader Alqahtani ◽  
Patrick J. Sparto ◽  
Susan L. Whitney ◽  
Susan L. Greenspan ◽  
Subashan Perera ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: In the last few decades, research related to balance in older adults has been conducted in lab-based settings. The lack of portability and high cost that is associated with the current gold standard methods to quantify body balance limits their application to community settings such as independent living facilities. The purpose of the study was to examine the relative and absolute reliability and the convergent validity of static standing balance performance using an accelerometer device . Methods: A total of 131 participants (85% female, mean age 80 ± 8 years) were included for the validity aim, and a subsample of 38 participants were enrolled in the reliability testing (89% female, mean age 76 ± 7 years). The root-mean-square (RMS) and normalized path length (NPL) for sway in antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions were calculated for different standing balance conditions. Test-retest reliability was assessed over two testing visits occurring one week apart using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for relative reliability, and the minimal detectable change (MDC) was calculated for the absolute reliability. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to test convergent validity at baseline between balance measurements and related mobility measures. Results: Reliability of balance performance using accelerometers was good to excellent with ICC values ranging from 0.41 to 0.83 for RMS sway and from 0.49 to 0.82 for NPL sway. However, the ICC during semi-tandem stance in A-P direction was 0.35, indicating poor reliability. The MDC of the sway measurements ranged from 2.4 to 9.4 for the RMS and 5.2 to 13.8 for the NPL. Balance measurements were correlated with mobility measurements. Conclusions: Using a portable accelerometer to quantify static standing postural control provides reliable measurements in community settings.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bader Alqahtani ◽  
Patrick J. Sparto ◽  
Susan L. Whitney ◽  
Susan L. Greenspan ◽  
Subashan Perera ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: In the last few decades, research related to balance in older adults has been conducted in lab-based settings. The lack of portability and high cost that is associated with the current gold standard methods to quantify body balance limits their application to community settings such as independent living facilities. The purpose of the study was to examine the relative and absolute reliability and the convergent validity of static standing balance performance using an accelerometer device. Methods: A total of 131 participants (85% female, mean age 80 ± 8 years) were included for the validity aim, and a subsample of 38 participants were enrolled in the reliability testing (89% female, mean age 76 ± 7 years). The root-mean-square (RMS) and normalized path length (NPL) for sway in antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions were calculated for different standing balance conditions. Test-retest reliability was assessed over two testing visits occurring one week apart using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for relative reliability, and the minimal detectable change (MDC) was calculated for the absolute reliability. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to test convergent validity at baseline between balance measurements and related mobility measures. Results: Reliability of balance performance using accelerometers was good to excellent with ICC values ranging from 0.41 to 0.83 for RMS sway and from 0.49 to 0.82 for NPL sway. However, the ICC during semi-tandem stance in A-P direction was 0.35, indicating poor reliability. The MDC of the sway measurements ranged from 2.4 to 9.4 for the RMS and 5.2 to 13.8 for the NPL. Balance measurements were correlated with mobility measurements. Conclusions: Using a portable accelerometer to quantify static standing postural control provides reliable measurements in community settings.


2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 442-449
Author(s):  
Amy Y. M. Chow ◽  
Meetim Chow ◽  
Catherine K. P. Wan ◽  
Katherine K. L. Wong ◽  
Rita W. T. Cheung

ABSTRACTBackground: This paper reports the development and validation of the Chinese Significant Wish Fulfillment Scale (CSWFS), a new multidimensional scale for assessing the perceived importance and level of fulfillment of wishes of older adults.Methods: Three studies were involved. Study 1 developed a 26-item pool on wish fulfillment through in-depth interviews with 22 older adults. Study 2 reduced the pool to 23 items through validation with a new sample of 315 older adults and examined the internal reliability. Study 3 involved a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and examined the test-retest reliability and the convergent validity of the scale with the construct of regret.Results: A five-factor structure model of 23 items was identified through exploratory factor analysis, which accounted for 51.67% of variance. As informed by the CFA in Study 3, a five-factor 22-item model was the best fit. Internal reliability and test-retest reliability was found to be good. Convergent validity was examined through correlation with the construct of future regret. The correlation, though statistically significant, was small.Conclusion: CSWFS demonstrates good psychometric properties, but the construct might be slightly different from that of future regrets. Probably, CSWFS addresses a construct that is under-explored but is of importance to older adults and especially to the Chinese community.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Salisbury ◽  
Neha U. Keshav ◽  
Anthony D. Sossong ◽  
Ned T. Sahin

AbstractBackground: The presence of accelerometers in smartphones has enabled low-cost balance assessment. Smartglasses, which contain an accelerometer similar to that of smartphones, could provide a safe and engaging platform for virtual and augmented reality balance rehabilitation; however, the validity of head-mounted measurement of balance using smartglasses has not been investigated.Objective: To perform preliminary validation of a smartglasses-based balance accelerometry measure (BAM) compared with previously validated waist-based BAM.Methods: 42 healthy individuals (26 male, 16 female; mean age ± SD = 23.8 ± 5.2 years) participated in the study. Following the BAM protocol, each subject performed two trials of six balance stances while accelerometer and gyroscope data were recorded from smartglasses (Google Glass). Test-retest reliability and correlation were determined relative to waist-based BAM as used in the NIH Standing Balance Toolbox.Results: Balance measurements obtained using a head-mounted wearable were highly correlated with those obtained through a waist-mounted accelerometer (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient = 0.85). Test-retest reliability was high (ICC = 0.85, 95% CI 0.81-0.88), and in good agreement with waist balance measurements (ICC = 0.84, 95% CI 0.80-0.88). Taking into account the total NPL magnitude improved inter-device correlation (0.90) while maintaining test-retest reliability (0.87, 95% CI 0.83-0.90). All subjects successfully completed the study, demonstrating the feasibility of using a head-mounted wearable to assess balance in a healthy population.Conclusion: Balance measurements derived from the smartglasses-based accelerometer were consistent with those obtained using a waist-mounted accelerometer. Given this and the potential for smartglasses in vestibular rehabilitation, the continued development and validation of balance assessment measurements obtained via smartglasses is warranted. This research was funded in part by Department of Defense/Defense Health Program (#W81XWH-14-C-0007, SBIR Phase II contract awarded to TIAX, LLC).


2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (10) ◽  
pp. 1381-1393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saud F Alsubaie ◽  
Susan L Whitney ◽  
Joseph M Furman ◽  
Gregory F Marchetti ◽  
Kathleen H Sienko ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundStandardized instruments for measuring the intensity of balance exercises in clinical environments are lacking.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to develop a method for quantifying the perceived intensity of standing balance exercises.DesignA test-retest study design was used, with repeated evaluations within the same visit and between visits 1 week later.MethodsSixty-two participants who were healthy and 18 to 85 years old (with a mean age of 55 years [SD = 20 years]; 50% women) were enrolled. On each of 2 visits, they performed 2 sets of 24 randomized static standing exercises consisting of combinations of the following factors: surface, vision, stance, and head movement. Postural sway was measured with an inertial measurement unit, and ratings of perceived difficulty (RPD) were recorded using numerical and qualitative scales. The RPD scales were validated against the quantitative sway measures using a general linear model approach. The test-retest reliability of the RPD scales was examined using a weighted kappa coefficient.ResultsBoth RPD scales were associated with postural sway measures with correlation coefficients > 0.6 for the whole sample. The test-retest reliability of the ratings varied considerably across the different balance exercises, and the highest weighted kappa values occurred for RPD scores on the numerical scale within the second visit, as moderate agreement was achieved in 18 of the 24 exercises.LimitationsThe limitations are that the RPD scales need to be validated for other types of balance exercises and in individuals with balance disorders.ConclusionsThe RPD scores correlated with the magnitude of postural sway, suggesting that they can be used as a proxy measure of perceived intensity of balance exercises.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bader A. Alqahtani ◽  
Patrick J. Sparto ◽  
Susan L. Whitney ◽  
Susan L. Greenspan ◽  
Subashan Perera ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Élvio R. Gouveia ◽  
Bruna R. Gouveia ◽  
Matthias Kliegel

Aims: The present study set out to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Cognitive Telephone Screening Instrument (COGTEL) in 2 different samples of older adults. Methods: We assessed COGTEL in 116 older adults, with retest after 7 days to evaluate the test-retest reliability. Moreover, we assessed COGTEL in 868 older adults to evaluate convergent validity to the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: Test-retest reliability of the COGTEL total score was good at 0.85 (p < 0.001). Latent variable analyses revealed that COGTEL and MMSE correlated by 0.93 (p < 0.001), indicating convergent validity of the COGTEL. Conclusion: The present analyses suggest COGTEL as a brief, reliable, and valid instrument for capturing interindividual differences in cognitive functioning in epidemiological and aging studies, with the advantage of covering more cognitive domains than traditional screening tools such as the MMSE, as well as differentiating between individual performance levels, in healthy older adults.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S334-S335
Author(s):  
Junhong Zhou ◽  
Wanting Yu ◽  
Hao Zhu ◽  
On-Yee Lo ◽  
Thomas Travison ◽  
...  

Abstract In older adults, assessment of standing postural control under various task and/or environmental conditions provides valuable insight into cognitive-motor function. To date, however, such assessments have been limited primarily to laboratory or clinical settings. We therefore created a smartphone App to enable remote assessments of postural control. This App provides users with standardized multi-media instructions and harnesses the phone’s internal motion sensors to capture postural sway, with the phone placed in the user’s pants pocket, during trials of standing with eyes open, eyes-closed, and while performing serial-subtractions (i.e., dual tasking). We then established the test-retest reliability of several metrics of postural sway derived from this assessment tool, as well as their sensitivity to the effect of age and standing condition. Fifteen healthy younger and 15 older adults completed multiple standing trials in two separate laboratory visits and on three separate days in their own homes. Postural sway metrics included the mean distance from the center of the trajectory and root mean square were derived from both transverse-plane acceleration and angular velocity time series. Each sway metric demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability, even when analyzed separately by group and standing condition (ICCs: 0.78-0.89). Moreover, each metric was sensitive to age group and standing condition, such that greater sway was observed in older adults as compared to younger adults (p&lt;0.03), and in more challenging standing conditions (p&lt;0.0001). These results suggest that sensitive metrics of standing postural control may be reliably obtained from remote smartphone-based assessments in both younger and older adults.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 4997
Author(s):  
Victor C. Le ◽  
Monica L. H. Jones ◽  
Kathleen H. Sienko

Postural sway has been demonstrated to increase following exposure to different types of motion. However, limited prior studies have investigated the relationship between exposure to normative on-road driving conditions and standing balance following the exposure. The purpose of this on-road study was to quantify the effect of vehicle motion and task performance on passengers’ post-drive standing balance performance. In this study, trunk-based kinematic data were captured while participants performed a series of balance exercises before and after an on-road driving session in real-time traffic. Postural sway for all balance exercises increased following the driving session. Performing a series of ecologically relevant visual-based tasks led to increases in most post-drive balance metrics such as sway position and velocity. However, the post-drive changes following the driving session with a task were not significantly different compared to changes observed following the driving session without a task. The post-drive standing balance performance changes observed in this study may increase vulnerable users’ risk of falling. Wearable sensors offer an opportunity to monitor postural sway following in-vehicle exposures.


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