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Free-Living Gait Cadence Measured by Wearable Accelerometer: A Promising Alternative to Traditional Measures of Mobility for Assessing Fall Risk
- Source :
- J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- Oxford University Press (OUP), 2022.
-
Abstract
- Background Wearable devices have become widespread in research applications, yet evidence on whether they are superior to structured clinic-based assessments is sparse. In this manuscript, we compare traditional, laboratory-based metrics of mobility with a novel accelerometry-based measure of free-living gait cadence for predicting fall rates. Methods Using negative binomial regression, we compared traditional in-clinic measures of mobility (6-minute gait cadence, speed, and distance, and 4-m gait speed) with free-living gait cadence from wearable accelerometers in predicting fall rates. Accelerometry data were collected with wrist-worn Actigraphs (GT9X) over 7 days in 432 community-dwelling older adults (aged 77.29 ± 5.46 years, 59.1% men, 80.2% White) participating in the Study to Understand Fall Reduction and Vitamin D in You. Falls were ascertained using monthly calendars, quarterly contacts, and ad hoc telephone reports. Accelerometry-based free-living gait cadence was estimated with the Adaptive Empirical Pattern Transformation algorithm. Results Across all participants, free-living cadence was significantly related to fall rates; every 10 steps per minute higher cadence was associated with a 13.2% lower fall rate (p = .036). Clinic-based measures of mobility were not related to falls (p > .05). Among higher-functioning participants (cadence ≥100 steps/minute), every 10 steps per minute higher free-living cadence was associated with a 27.7% lower fall rate (p = .01). In participants with slow baseline gait (gait speed Conclusion Data collected from biosensors in the free-living environment may provide a more sensitive indicator of fall risk than in-clinic tests, especially among higher-functioning older adults who may be more responsive to intervention. Clinical Trial Registration NCT02166333
- Subjects :
- Aging
THE JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY: Medical Sciences
Geriatrics and Gerontology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1758535X and 10795006
- Volume :
- 78
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The Journals of Gerontology: Series A
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....cd38c713aaa67606ab69eb842c56d2cd