Accelerometer Based Stair Climbing in Healthy Subjects: Reference Data and Demographic Differences

Abstract

Background: Accelerometers facilitate analysis outside traditional gait laboratories. Before using these devices on a larger scale and in clinical settings, a thorough assessment of their performance in diverse populations is required. The goal of this study was to present an acceleration-based reference database for stair climbing in healthy subjects. The effect of age was studied with different parameters, such as step time up and down, asymmetry and irregularity.Methods: Our study included 100 healthy subjects, which were divided in two age groups. The group of younger adults consisted of 54 subjects with a mean age of 26 years and the group of older adults consisted of 46 subjects with a mean age of 65 years.Findings: Average step times were slightly higher ascending compared to descending. Step time difference, between ascending and descending, was significant between the young and elderly group. Irregularity and asymmetry did not diverge between the age groups. In addition, effects of age on gait parameters were found to be consistent with those reported in studies using other methodologies.Interpretation: Stair climbing based findings together with all the advantages of the device support the application of accelerometerbased gait analysis for routine clinical use and in daily life.