title: Impaired choice stepping in response to a visual-spatial attention demanding task among older adults at high risk of falling: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Impairment in visual-spatial attention can cause difficulties in planning and guiding movements, leading to falls in older adults .The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between visual-spatial attention during movement and the risk of falling in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six elderly volunteers (mean age, 73.2±6.8 years) performed a rapid choice stepping task in response to flanker task stimuli. Step errors in congruent or incongruent conditions were recorded as a measure of the accuracy of choice stepping. Four clinical measurements were also assessed: 10-min walking time, timed up and go test, functional reach test and 5- chair stand test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High-risk (HR) participants showed a significantly higher rate of step errors in the incongruent condition than low-risk (LR) ones (HR: 55.5%, LR: 18.5%; p =0.032). Step error in the incongruent condition [odds ratio (OR)=5.5; p=0.041] was the only independent variable which remained significant in the final step of the logistic regression model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Impaired choice stepping in response to a visual-spatial attention-demanding task was associated with the risk of falling in older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Japan. kazuki.uemura@gmail.com
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uemura
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Koutatsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Buichi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*