A Pilot Study to Validate a Wearable Inertial Sensor for Gait Assessment in Older Adults with Falls

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Falls are a significant health concern for the elderly, leading to severe injuries and reduced quality of life.
• Traditional fall risk assessments can be subjective and may not reflect real-world mobility.
• Objective, continuous monitoring of gait is needed to accurately assess fall risk in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel walking-monitor gait pattern system (G-STRIDE) for older adults.
• To assess the structural and clinical validity of G-STRIDE using a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) and pedestrian dead reckoning algorithms.
• To compare the accuracy of G-STRIDE with conventional clinical measures for fall risk assessment.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional case-control study involving 21 older adults (11 fallers, 10 non-fallers).
• Gait was monitored using an IMU attached to the foot during walking on various surfaces.
• G-STRIDE system includes a portable device and a mobile app for telematic clinical analysis.
• Concurrent validity was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) against conventional measures.

Main Results:

• G-STRIDE demonstrated high estimation accuracy for walking speed in the elderly.
• The system showed good concurrent validity compared to conventional measures (ICC = 0.69, p < 0.000).
• G-STRIDE accurately classified older adults at risk of falling, comparable to traditional methods.

Conclusions:

• The inertial-based G-STRIDE system is a valid and accurate tool for monitoring elderly gait patterns.
• G-STRIDE offers objective, real-world gait assessment, aiding in the identification of fall risk.
• This technology provides a reliable alternative to subjective clinical assessments for fall prevention strategies.