@article{ref1,
title="Are activity-based assessments of balance and gait in the elderly predictive of risk of falling and/or type of fall?",
journal="Journal of the American Geriatrics Society",
year="1993",
author="Topper, A. K. and Maki, B. E. and Holliday, Pamela J.",
volume="41",
number="5",
pages="479-487",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an activity-based test of balance and gait is predictive of the risk of: (1) falling in situations that are related to specific tasks evaluated as part of the test, (2) experiencing falls precipitated by different classes of biomechanical events, or (3) falling in general; and to compare the predictive ability of the activity-based test for the falls described in (2) and (3) to that of a posturography test that has been found previously to be predictive of falling risk. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Baseline tests performed in balance laboratory; subsequent history of falling monitored prospectively for 1 year in two residential-care facilities. PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen male and 83 female consecutive volunteers (mean age = 83, SD = 6) who were independent in activities of daily living and able to stand unaided. MEASUREMENTS: Independent variables were derived from an activity-based balance-and-gait test and a posturography test. Dependent variables were the numbers of subjects with one or more: (1) falls in specific situations related to activity-based test items, (2) falls related to general classes of biomechanical precipitant, and (3) falls in general. MAIN RESULTS: Subjects who were rated as &quot;abnormal&quot; in activity-based test items related to transfers, turning or reaching were more likely to experience one or more falls in related situations in everyday life. Activity-based scores were predictive of risk of experiencing falls with no obvious biomechanical precipitant and falls precipitated by center-of-mass perturbation, but not falls precipitated by base-of-support perturbation. In comparison, a posturographic measure of spontaneous medial-lateral postural sway (blindfolded conditions) failed to predict falls having no biomechanical precipitant, but provided the best predictions of both center-of-mass and base-of-support falls, as well as risk of falling in general. CONCLUSIONS: Activity-based testing of certain tasks (transfer, turning, reaching) may be useful in indicating a specific need for intervention to reduce the risk of falling during related everyday activities. In terms of predicting falling risk, a static posturography test may provide better prediction overall of the different classes of falls and may be useful as a quick and simple screening tool to help identify high-risk individuals.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0002-8614",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}