Rapid stepping test towards virtual visual objects: Feasibility and convergent validity in older adults

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Human Movement Science

Background:

• Rapid voluntary stepping is a key indicator of balance control.
• Assessing balance in the elderly is crucial for fall prevention and maintaining independence.
• Virtual reality offers novel approaches for objective functional assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of a virtual reality Rapid Stepping Test (VR-RST) protocol.
• To determine the convergent validity of the VR-RST using established balance measures.
• To assess the VR-RST in community-dwelling, independent elderly individuals.

Main Methods:

• Sixty community-dwelling elderly participants (mean age 88.2 years) underwent the VR-RST.
• Step execution times were recorded using the SeeMeTM virtual reality system.
• Convergent validity was assessed by correlating VR-RST data with the ABC Questionnaire, MiniBESTest, and TUG test.

Main Results:

• The VR-RST demonstrated moderate correlations with the ABC Questionnaire and clinical balance tests for forward and backward stepping.
• Weak to moderate correlations were observed for sideward stepping.
• Overall, moderate to strong correlations (ρ range 0.45-0.87) across stepping directions support the VR-RST's validity.

Conclusions:

• The VR-RST is a feasible and valid assessment tool for balance in the elderly population.
• The virtual reality system provides reliable data for evaluating stepping performance.
• The VR-RST can be utilized to monitor balance and inform interventions in older adults.