Predicting the Probability of Falls in Community-Residing Older Adults Using the 8-Foot Up-and-Go: A New Measure of Functional Mobility

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether performance on the 8-ft up-and-go test (UG) could discriminate between older adult fallers (n= 71) and nonfallers (n= 63) and whether it would be as sensitive and specific a predictor of falls as the timed up-and-go test (TUG). Performance on the UG was significantly different between the recurrent faller and nonfaller groups (p< .01), as was performance on the TUG (p< .001). Older adults who required 8.5 s or longer to complete the UG were classified as fallers, with an overall prediction rate of 82%. The specificity of the test was 86% and the sensitivity was 78%. Conversely, the overall prediction rate for older adults who completed the TUG in 10 s or longer was 80%. The specificity of the TUG was 86% and the sensitivity was 71%.

Whole Body Vibration Training Attenuates Bone Loss in Osteoporosis: A Case Report

“…This may be a result of participation in physical therapy to help rehabilitate the wrist fractures. Of particular importance is the reduction in time required for the 8-foot up and go, at test known to predict risk for falling [25]. At baseline, the participant scored in the 5th percentile for this task of agility/dynamic balance, while improving to the 30th percentile and finally the 65th percentile during the course of the study.…”

Validity of the 8-Foot Up and Go, Timed Up and Go, and Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale in older adults with and without cognitive impairment

“…Those with a history of one fall in the past year were excluded to maximize the identification of "true" fallers. It has been argued that a patient report of two or more falls is more strongly linked with a predisposition for falling than a single isolated fall [13][14][16][17].…”

“…For the purposes of this study, a fall was defined as "any event resulting in an individual unintentionally coming to rest on the ground, floor, or other lower level, not as the result of a major intrinsic event or overwhelming hazard. This includes: slips, trips, falling into other people, being involuntarily lowered, loss of balance, and legs giving way" [13][14][15]. Based on the criterion for the identification of fallers and nonfallers in other outcome measures literature [13][14], participants were considered nonfallers if they reported no incidents of a fall in the past year and were considered fallers if they reported two or more falls in the past year according to the standardized definition provided.…”

“…This includes: slips, trips, falling into other people, being involuntarily lowered, loss of balance, and legs giving way" [13][14][15]. Based on the criterion for the identification of fallers and nonfallers in other outcome measures literature [13][14], participants were considered nonfallers if they reported no incidents of a fall in the past year and were considered fallers if they reported two or more falls in the past year according to the standardized definition provided. Those with a history of one fall in the past year were excluded to maximize the identification of "true" fallers.…”

“…If a patient self-reported any of the following diagnoses, they were excluded from participation: history of a stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, or lower-limb joint replacement within the past 6 mo. These exclusionary diagnoses were chosen because they have been used previously in outcome measure research on community-dwelling older adults to establish more homogenous patient characterization [5,13].…”