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Objective. The purpose of the study was to establish reference values for the Uppsala-Dalarna Dementia and Gait (UDDGait) Timed 'Up & Go' dual-task (TUGdt) test variables in cognitively healthy adults and to assess these variables' test--retest reliability. Methods. For reference values, 166 participants were recruited with approximately equal numbers and proportions of women and men in the age groups 50 to 59, 60 to 69, 70 to 79, and 80+ years (mean age =70 years, age range =50-91 years, 51% women). For reliability testing, 43 individuals (mean age = 69 years, age range =50-89 years, 51% women) were recruited. Two dt tests were carried out: TUGdt naming animals and TUGdt months backward, representing 8 test variables: time scores, costs (the relative difference between single-task and dt time scores), 'number of animals,' 'number of months,' 'animals/10 seconds,' and 'months/10 seconds.' Reference ranges for the variables were established by quantile regression in age- and sex-specific groups. For reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change, and Bland--Altman plots were used. Results. Reference values for the TUGdt test variables are presented for the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. The reliability of TUGdt time scores was excellent (ICCs between 0.85 and 0.86). 'Number of animals' and 'animals/10 seconds' as well as 'months/10 seconds' showed fair to good levels of reliability (ICCs between 0.45 and 0.58), whereas the reliability for both cost measures and 'number of months' was poor (ICCs between 0.34 and 0.39). Conclusion. Normative reference values, potentially useful for clinical and research purposes, were presented in 4 age- and sex-specific groups from 50 years and older. Reliability for the test variables varied between poor and excellent, the lower estimates partly explained by some variables being the ratio of 2 other variables. In UDDGait, TUGdt tests are intended for diagnostic and predictive purposes, for which these tests are promising and require further investigations. Impact. Normative reference values and test--retest reliability results for the UDDGait TUGdt test variables were presented. These results should be useful for both clinical and research purposes. Keywords: Cognitive Function, Dual-Task, Reference Values, Reliability, Timed Up & Go, Introduction Dementia is an important and growing global public health concern. (1) Currently available methods for identifying dementia are costly and time-consuming, and new tools have been called for. (2) [...]

Background and Purpose The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) is frequently used to assess balance in older people, but knowledge is lacking about the absolute reliability of BBS scores. The aim of this study was to investigate the absolute and relative intrarater test-retest reliability of data obtained with the BBS when it is used among older people who are dependent in activities of daily living and living in residential care facilities. Subjects The participants were 45 older people (36 women and 9 men) who were living in 3 residential care facilities. Their mean age was 82.3 years (SD=6.6, range=68-96), and their mean score on the Mini Mental State Examination was 17.5 (SD=6.3, range=4-30). Methods The BBS was assessed twice by the same assessor. The intrarater test-retest reliability assessments were made at approximately the same time of day and with 1 to 3 days in between assessments. Absolute reliability was calculated using an analysis of variance with a 95% confidence level, as suggested by Bland and Altman. Relative reliability was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results The mean score was 30.1 points (SD=15.9, range=3-53) for the first BBS test and 30.6 points (SD=15.6, range=4-54) for the retest. The mean absolute difference between the 2 tests was 2.8 points (SD=2.7, range=0-11). The absolute reliability was calculated as being 7.7 points, and the ICC was calculated to .97. Discussion and Conclusion Despite a high ICC value, the absolute reliability showed that a change of 8 BBS points is required to reveal a genuine change in function among older people who are dependent in activities of daily living and living in residential care facilities. This knowledge is important in the clinical setting when evaluating an individual's change in balance function over time in this group of older people., The maintenance of balance function is essential to stay physically active in life. (1) Due to aging processes, diseases, and inactivity, balance often is impaired among older people. The impairment [...]