The Effect of a Dual-Task on Obstacle Crossing in Healthy Elderly and Young Adults
Presented in part to the Society for Neuroscience, November 2003.
Abstract
Kim H-D, Brunt D. The effect of a dual-task on obstacle crossing in healthy elderly and young adults.
Objective
To investigate the effect of a dual-task on step initiation over an obstacle.
Design
Repeated-measures design between groups.
Setting
University laboratory.
Participants
Ten healthy, community-dwelling elderly adults and 10 healthy young adults.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
The effect of a reaction time task on ground reaction forces, toe clearance, and temporal events in stepping over an obstacle.
Results
Ground reaction forces of the swing limb before toe-off did not differ between the groups and was not affected by task difficulty. Stepping with a random stimulus after toe-off was the most difficult task, whereas stepping with a predictable stimulus before toe-off was the easiest task. Reaction time and stepping time were greater and toe clearance was less for the elderly subjects. Both groups had a decrease in toe clearance and an increase in reaction time and stepping time as the task became more difficult.
Conclusions
Our findings indicate that even healthy older adults may be at risk for falls in situations where they are engaged in concurrent tasks. The data support the inclusion of dual-task activities in fall prevention programs.
aDepartment of Physical Therapy, Catholic University of Daegu, South Korea
bDepartment of Physical Therapy, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
Correspondence to Denis Brunt, EdD, Dept of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.
ABSTRACT