A smartphone fall risk application is valid and reliable in older adults during real-world testing
K.L. Hsieh, J.T. Fanning, J.J. Sosnoff
Full text PDF 
( Download count: 526)
AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of a custom-built fall risk smartphone application (SteadyTM) compared to validated fall risk tests in older adults in a real-world setting. Fifteen participants completed SteadyTM, which includes entering demographics, rating perceived balance, and completing 5 balance tasks. Following completion, SteadyTM computes a single, overall fall risk score. Participants then completed standard, clinical tests assessing their mobility and overall fall risk. Ten participants repeated testing procedures within one week. Spearman’s correlations and Interclass Coefficients (ICC) were performed between SteadyTM scores and clinical tests. There were moderate and significant correlations between SteadyTM scores and the mobility tasks (p’s = 0.009 - <0.001). There was a good and significant ICC for SteadyTM scores between testing sessions (ICC = 0.90; p = 0.001). SteadyTM may offer a valid and reliable solution to provide self-administered fall risk screening for older adults in home settings.Keywords: fall risk, smartphone application, older adults
K.L. Hsieh, J.T. Fanning, J.J. Sosnoff (2019). A smartphone fall risk application is valid and reliable in older adults during real-world testing. Gerontechnology, 18(1), 29-35
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2019.18.1.003.00