@article{ref1,
title="The effect of different types of walking on dual-task performance and task prioritization among community-dwelling older adults",
journal="ScientificWorldJournal",
year="2014",
author="Agmon, Maayan and Kodesh, Einat and Kizony, Rachel",
volume="2014",
number="",
pages="e259547-e259547",
abstract="Background. The ability to safely conduct different types of walking concurrently with a cognitive task (i.e., dual task) is crucial for daily life. The contribution of different walking types to dual-task performance has not yet been determined, nor is there agreement on the strategies that older adults use to divide their attention between two tasks (task prioritization). <br><br>OBJECTIVEs. To compare the effect of walking in three different directions (forward, backward, and sideways) on dual-task performance and to explore the strategies of older adults to allocate their attention in response to different motor task demands. Design. A cross-sectional study. Subjects. Thirty-two (22 female) community-dwelling older adults (aged 72.7±5.7 years). <br><br>METHODS. Subjects randomly conducted single and dual task: walking to three directions separately, cognitive tasks separately, and combination of the two. <br><br>RESULTS. Walking forward was the least demanding task, during single (FW < BW, SW) (P <.001) and dual tasks (FW < BW < SW) (P <.001). The calculation of DTC revealed the same pattern (P <.001). DTC of the cognitive tasks was not significantly different among the three walking types. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS. The decline mainly in the motor performance during dual task indicates that participants prioritized the cognitive task. These findings challenge the &quot;posture first&quot; paradigm for task prioritization.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2356-6140",
doi="10.1155/2014/259547",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/259547"
}