iPhone Accelerometry Provides a Sensitive In-Home Assessment of Age-Related Changes in Standing Balance

Abstract

Remote health monitoring has become increasingly important, especially in aging populations. We aimed to identify tasks that are sensitive to age-related changes in balance during fully remote, at-home balance assessment. Participants were 12 healthy young adults (mean age = 26.08 years, range: 18–33) and 12 healthy older adults (mean age = 67.33 years, range: 60–75). Participants performed standing tasks monitored via video conference while their balance was quantified using a custom iPhone application measuring mediolateral center of mass acceleration. We included three stances (feet together, tandem, and single leg) with eyes open or closed, with or without a concurrent cognitive task. Older adults demonstrated significantly more variable center of mass accelerations in tandem (p = .04, ) and significantly higher (p < .01, ) and more variable (p < .01, ) center of mass accelerations in single leg compared with young adults. We also observed that as task challenge increased, balance dual-task cost diminished for older, but not young, adults.

Age-Related Dysfunction in Balance: A Comprehensive Review of Causes, Consequences, and Interventions

“…Some notable innovations include: wearable sensors and inertial measurement units, virtual and augmented reality, gamified balance training, telemedicine and remote monitoring, brain-computer interfaces (BCI), sports games and interactive training platforms, artificial intelligence and machines learning, haptic feedback devices, integration of comprehensive training methods, etc. [170][171][172][173]. These innovations provide a more precise and data-driven approach to advancing the field of balance assessment and intervention to address balance in older adults and those with neurological disorders.…”