Video task analysis of turning during activities of daily living

Nearly every daily activity that requires locomotion requires turning, yet most gait research has focused on straight ahead walking. Research on turning has primarily been limited to laboratory or clinical settings, and little is known about turning in the home or community environments. The purpose of this study was to investigate turning behavior in the field during certain activities of daily living. Eleven able-bodied subjects were filmed from a posterior view from the waist down as they walked through four courses designed to simulate activities of daily living. Subjects walked from one office to another, from an office to a parking lot, through a convenience store, and through a cafeteria. A single investigator classified each step from the video data as either straight or turning. A repeatability analysis was performed on the office to office course. Results showed that turning steps made up a considerable portion of steps taken. The office to parking lot, store, office to office and cafeteria courses had turn percentages of 8%, 35%, 45%, and 50%, respectively. The repeatability analysis revealed R(2) values of .850 or greater for four out of five turn classifications. Turning makes up a large portion of steps taken during activities of daily living, yet clinical practice focuses primarily on straight ahead walking. The results of this study suggest the need to consider turning maneuvers in clinical practice.