title: 'Faster counting while walking' as a predictor of falls in older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish whether changes in a spoken verbal task performance while walking compared with being at rest could predict falls among older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study of 12 months' duration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven senior housing facilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sample of 187 subjects aged 75-100 (mean age 84.8 +/- 5.2). During enrollment, participants were asked to count aloud backward from 50, both at rest and while walking and were divided into two groups according to their counting performance. Information on incident falls during the follow-up year was monthly collected.
  
  
  METHODS
  The number of enumerated figures while sitting on a chair and while walking, and the first fall that occurred during the follow up year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of enumerated figures under dual-task as compared to single task increased among 31.5% of the tested subjects (n = 59) and was associated with lower scores in MMSE (P = 0.034), and higher scores in Geriatric Depression Scale (P = 0.007) and Timed Up & Go (P = 0.005). During the 12 months follow-up, 54 subjects (28.9%) fell. After adjusting for these variables, the increase in counting performance was significantly associated with falls (adjusted OR = 53.3, P < 0.0001). Kaplan-Meier distributions of falls differed significantly between subjects who either increased or decreased their counting performance (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Faster counting while walking was strongly associated with falls, suggesting that better performance in an additional verbal counting task while walking might represent a new way to predict falls among older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Saint-Etienne University Hospitals, Saint-Etienne, France. olivier.beauchet@univ-st-etienne.fr
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Beauchet
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dubost
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Allali
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gonthier
authors.forename: François R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: Reto W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Kressig
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*