Dual Task Interference in Estimating the Risk of Falls and Measuring Change: A Comparable, Psychometric Study of Four Measurements
By Hofheinz, Martin; Schusterlitz, Claudia; Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 24, No. 9, pp. 831-842Publication Date: September 2010
Study determined the standard values for the performance times of the Timed Up and Go Test with cognitive and with manual dual task (TUGcog and TUGman) and assessed whether the TUG with dual task is a reliable and valid instrument for determining fall risk of healthy elderly people. The TUGman is defined as a timed test of the performance of standing from a sitting position in a chair, walking a 3-meter line, turning around, and walking back to the chair, with the added task of grabbing a glass of water. The TUGcog adds the task of counting backwards in threes. Participants were 120 healthy seniors aged 60 to 87 years living at home. One day and one week following trials, 23 randomly selected participants were tested again to ascertain retest reliability. Main outcome measures were the Berg Balance Scale and times for the TUGman and TUGcog. Strong correlations were found between the TUGman and the BBS, and between the TUGcog and and the BBS, indicating high criterion validity. The retest reliability of the TUGman and TUGcog was very good. The intra-rater reliability was very high, with an intra-class correlation of 0.99 for the TUGman and 0.94 for the TUGcog. The mean time needed to perform the TUGman was 11.6 seconds, while the mean time needed to perform the TUGcog was 9.8 seconds. Based on study results, the authors conclude that the tests with dual tasks can be recommended.
Published by: Sage Publications (Website:http://www.sagepub.com)
British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (Web Site: http://www.bsrm.co.uk )
Link to text: http://cre.sagepub.com/content/24/9/831.abstract
