title: Turning difficulty characteristics of adults aged 65 years or older.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Falls that occur while walking have been associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in elderly people. This study's purpose was to describe movement characteristics in older adults that serve as indicators of difficulty in turning while walking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three groups were assessed: young adults who had no difficulty in turning (age range=20-30 years, n=20) (YNDT group), elderly adults who had no difficulty in turning (age range=65-87 years, n=15) (ENDT group), and elderly adults who had difficulty in turning (age range=69-92 years, n=15) (EDT group).
  
  
  METHODS
  All subjects were videotaped performing a self-paced 180-degree turn during the Timed "Up & Go" Test. Movement characteristics of each group were identified. Four characteristics were used to identify difficulty in turning: (1) the type of turn, (2) the number of steps taken during the turn, (3) the time taken to accomplish the turn, (4) and staggering during the turn.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In general, the EDT group took more steps during the turn and more time to accomplish the turn than the YNDT and ENDT groups. Although the only turning strategy used by the YNDT group was a pivot type of turn, there was an almost total absence of a pivot type of turn in the EDT group. No differences were found among the groups on the staggering item, yet the EDT group was the only group in which staggering was present. We believe these changes observed in the 4 characteristics only in the EDT group are indicators of difficulty in turning while walking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These indicators of difficulty may be useful for the early identification of individuals aged 65 years or older who are having difficulty in turning and may well serve as the basis for the development of a scale for difficulty in turning in older adults. Preliminary findings indicate the need for further study into the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of measurements obtained with such a scale.
authors.affiliation: College of Health and Human Performance and College of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, Box 100154, Gainesville, FL 32610,USA. bobnmary@AOL.com
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Thigpen
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Light
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Creel
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Flynn
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D020234:Gait Ataxia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D011187:Posture; D014743:Videotape Recording