Citation

Smith E, Cusack T, Cunningham C, Blake C. J. Aging Phys. Act. 2017; 25(4): 671-686.

Affiliation

University College Dublin, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, Dublin, Ireland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Human Kinetics Publishers)

DOI

10.1123/japa.2016-0265

PMID

28253049

Abstract

This review examines the effect of a dual-task on the gait parameters of older adults with a mean gait speed of 1.0m/s or greater, and the effect of type and complexity of task. A systematic review of Web of Science, PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase and psychINFO was performed in July 2016. Twenty-three studies (twenty-eight data sets) were reviewed and pooled for meta-analysis. The effect size on seven gait parameters was measured as the raw mean difference between single and dual-task performance. Gait speed significantly reduced with the addition of a dual-task, with increasing complexity showing greater decrements. Cadence, stride time and measures of gait variability were all negatively affected under the dual-task condition. In older adults, the addition of a dual-task significantly reduces gait speed and cadence, with possible implications for the assessment of older people, as the addition of a dual-task may expose deficits not observed under single-task assessment.

Language: en

Keywords

Dual-task; Gait parameters; Meta-analysis; Older adults