Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Home-Based Monitor for Gait and Activity Analysis
Published on: August 8, 2019
Added value of a triaxial accelerometer assessing gait parameters to predict falls and mortality among nursing home
F Buckinx1, C Beaudart1, J Slomian1
1Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium Support Unit in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Background:
Gait impairment seems to be a risk factor for falls and mortality. Because gait change cannot be determined easily with classical clinical tests, some authors have suggested that it might be useful to use a gait-analysis system among elderly community-dwelling people.
Objective:
The main objective of the present study was to determine the predictive value of a quantitative evaluation of the gait characteristics in nursing home residents for the occurrence of falls and death performed using a tri-axial accelerometer (Locométrix®).
Material And Methods:
One hundred elderly nursing home residents (80 women and 20 men, mean age 86.4 ± 6.04 years) were included in this study with the aim to follow them for 2 years. Deaths and falls were systematically recorded. A quantitative evaluation of a 10-second walk was performed with a tri-axial accelerometer (Locometrix®). Demographic data (i.e age, sex, body mass index) and clinical data (i.e. fall risk evaluated by the Tinetti test) were also recorded.
Results:
During the two years of follow-up, 27 patients died. After adjustment on all potential confounding variables, only body mass index was significantly associated with the risk of mortality with an odds ratio of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.77-0.96, p=0.04). At the end of the study period, 440 falls had occurred (mean: 4.44 ± 6.79 falls per patient) but no single factors were independently associated with fall incidence.
Conclusion:
Our results show that a quantitative gait analysis performed using a tri-axial accelerometer is not predictive of long-term falls and mortality among nursing home residents.
