TY - JOUR
T1 - Digital assessment of walking ability
T2 - Validity and reliability of the automated figure-of-eight walk test in older adults
AU - Kong, Hyun Ho
AU - Shin, Kwangsoo
AU - Yang, Dong Seok
AU - Gu, Hye Young
AU - Joo, Hyeon Seong
AU - Shon, Hyun Chul
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
PY - 2025/2
Y1 - 2025/2
N2 - Background The Figure-of-Eight Walk Test (F8WT) can assess straight- and curved-path walking ability, but the validity and reliability of automated measurement of the F8WT using digital device has not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to verify the validity (method comparison) and test-retest reliability of the automated FW8T (aFW8T) using a digital device based on image analysis by comparing the results of the aF8WT with those of the manual F8WT (mF8WT). Methods Community-dwelling older adults underwent the mF8WT performed by a physiotherapist and the aF8WT using the Digital Senior Fitness Test system. To verify the test-retest reliability, the aF8WT was administered again to a randomly selected group of participants one week after the baseline test. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Pearson’s correlation analysis were used to verify the degree of agreement between the results of and correlation between the mF8WT and aF8WT, respectively. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of the limits of agreement (LoA) was obtained using Bland–Altman analysis. Results The analysis included 83 participants (mean age 71.6 ± 4.7 years). The participants’ mF8WT and aF8WT results were 29.1 ± 4.9 and 29.8 ± 4.9 seconds, respectively. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a very strong correlation between the mF8WT and aF8WT results with r = 0.91 (p < 0.001), and the ICC between the mF8WT and aF8WT results was 0.95 (0.91–0.97), showing excellent agreement. The 95% CI of the LoA was ‑0.7 (‑4.8 to 3.3) seconds in the Bland–Altman analysis. In an analysis of the test-retest reliability of the aF8WT, participants’ aF8WT results were 30.9 ± 4.7 seconds (baseline) and 29.6 ± 4.9 seconds (retest), with an ICC of 0.94 (0.81–0.98, p < 0.001), indicating excellent reliability. Conclusion Automated measurement of the F8WT using a digital device showed excellent validity and reliability. The aF8WT can be used to assess and monitor the walking ability of community-dwelling older adults.
AB - Background The Figure-of-Eight Walk Test (F8WT) can assess straight- and curved-path walking ability, but the validity and reliability of automated measurement of the F8WT using digital device has not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to verify the validity (method comparison) and test-retest reliability of the automated FW8T (aFW8T) using a digital device based on image analysis by comparing the results of the aF8WT with those of the manual F8WT (mF8WT). Methods Community-dwelling older adults underwent the mF8WT performed by a physiotherapist and the aF8WT using the Digital Senior Fitness Test system. To verify the test-retest reliability, the aF8WT was administered again to a randomly selected group of participants one week after the baseline test. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Pearson’s correlation analysis were used to verify the degree of agreement between the results of and correlation between the mF8WT and aF8WT, respectively. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of the limits of agreement (LoA) was obtained using Bland–Altman analysis. Results The analysis included 83 participants (mean age 71.6 ± 4.7 years). The participants’ mF8WT and aF8WT results were 29.1 ± 4.9 and 29.8 ± 4.9 seconds, respectively. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a very strong correlation between the mF8WT and aF8WT results with r = 0.91 (p < 0.001), and the ICC between the mF8WT and aF8WT results was 0.95 (0.91–0.97), showing excellent agreement. The 95% CI of the LoA was ‑0.7 (‑4.8 to 3.3) seconds in the Bland–Altman analysis. In an analysis of the test-retest reliability of the aF8WT, participants’ aF8WT results were 30.9 ± 4.7 seconds (baseline) and 29.6 ± 4.9 seconds (retest), with an ICC of 0.94 (0.81–0.98, p < 0.001), indicating excellent reliability. Conclusion Automated measurement of the F8WT using a digital device showed excellent validity and reliability. The aF8WT can be used to assess and monitor the walking ability of community-dwelling older adults.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85217553849
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0316612
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0316612
M3 - Article
C2 - 39928640
AN - SCOPUS:85217553849
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 20
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 2 February
M1 - e0316612
ER -