Association between everyday walking activity, objective and perceived risk of falling in older adults

Abstract

Background older persons can be grouped according to their objective risk of falling (ORF) and perceived risk of falling (PRF) into ‘vigorous’ (low ORF/PRF), ‘anxious’ (low ORF/high PRF), ‘stoic’ (high ORF/low PRF) and ‘aware’ (high ORF/PRF). Sensor-assessed daily walking activity of these four groups has not been investigated, yet. Objective we examined everyday walking activity in those four groups and its association with ORF and PRF. Design cross-sectional. Setting community. Subjects N = 294 participants aged 70 years and older. Methods ORF was determined based on multiple independent risk factors; PRF was determined based on the Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International. Subjects were allocated to the four groups accordingly. Linear regression was used to quantify the associations of these groups with the mean number of accelerometer-assessed steps per day over 1 week as the dependent variable. ‘Vigorous’ was used as the reference group. Results average number of steps per day in the four groups were 6,339 (‘vigorous’), 5,781 (‘anxious’), 4,555 (‘stoic’) and 4,528 (‘aware’). Compared with the ‘vigorous’, ‘stoic’ (−1,482; confidence interval (CI): −2,473; −491) and ‘aware’ (−1,481; CI: −2,504; −458) participants took significantly less steps, but not the ‘anxious’ (−580 steps; CI: −1,440; 280). Conclusion we have integrated a digital mobility outcome into a fall risk categorisation based on ORF and PRF. Steps per day in this sample of community-dwelling older persons were in accordance with their ORF rather than their PRF. Whether this grouping approach can be used for the specification of participants’ needs when taking part in programmes to prevent falls and simultaneously promote physical activity remains to be answered in intervention studies.

Falls and associated risk factors in a sample of old age population in Egyptian community

“…In congruence with this, several systematic reviews with meta-analyses provided a strong evidence of the positive effect of exercise training interventions in decreasing the risk of falling among old age people (21)(22)(23). Moreover, exercise interventions associated with lifestyle changes proved to have a high effectiveness in reducing the risk of falling in the elderly (24).…”

Rehabilitation Outcomes Following Hip Fracture of Home-Based Exercise Interventions Using a Wearable Device—A Randomized Controlled Pilot and Feasibility Study

“…With a wearable device, the therapist receives feedback and can ensure that the rehabilitation program is tailored to the needs of the individual [ 8 ]. IMUs are valid and reliable for measuring outcomes in persons at risk of falling [ 16 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. For this study, hardware and algorithms for deciding step length, step time, and walking speed were used, which are identical to those used in earlier validation projects, where they showed a correlation of 0.96–1.00 for step time and 0.83–0.93 for step length in studies on validity and an intraclass correlation of 0.83–0.89 for reliability [ 22 , 23 ].…”

The Hospital to Home study (H2H): smartwatch technology-enabled rehabilitation following hip fracture in older adults, a feasibility non-randomised trial

“…14 The usefulness of using novel methods when evaluating Smartwatch technology-enabled rehabilitation effects of rehabilitation, such as data captured with wearable devices, has been acknowledged. 15 Nevertheless, few studies have assessed the acceptability of such devices in the acute setting. 16 A 2022 review of patients sustaining a hip fracture and the use of technology to aid recovery found no interventional studies using wearables, 17 although several studies have looked at the feasibility of technology use in hospital.…”