Weiss, AnerMirelman, AnatBuchman, Aron S.Bennett, David A.Hausdorff, Jeffrey M2014-03-012013Weiss, Aner, Anat Mirelman, Aron S. Buchman, David A. Bennett, and Jeffrey M. Hausdorff. 2013. “Using a Body-Fixed Sensor to Identify Subclinical Gait Difficulties in Older Adults with IADL Disability: Maximizing the Output of the Timed Up and Go.” PLoS ONE 8 (7): e68885. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068885. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068885.1932-6203http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:11855904Objective: The identification and documentation of subclinical gait impairments in older adults may facilitate the appropriate use of interventions for preventing or delaying mobility disability. We tested whether measures derived from a single body-fixed sensor worn during traditional Timed Up and Go (TUG) testing could identify subclinical gait impairments in community dwelling older adults without mobility disability. Methods: We used data from 432 older adults without dementia (mean age 83.30±7.04 yrs, 76.62% female) participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. The traditional TUG was conducted while subjects wore a body-fixed sensor. We derived measures of overall TUG performance and different subtasks including transitions (sit-to-stand, stand-to-sit), walking, and turning. Multivariate analysis was used to compare persons with and without mobility disability and to compare individuals with and without Instrumental Activities of Daily Living disability (IADL-disability), all of whom did not have mobility disability. Results: As expected, individuals with mobility disability performed worse on all TUG subtasks (p<0.03), compared to those who had no mobility disability. Individuals without mobility disability but with IADL disability had difficulties with turns, had lower yaw amplitude (p<0.004) during turns, were slower (p<0.001), and had less consistent gait (p<0.02). Conclusions: A single body-worn sensor can be employed in the community-setting to complement conventional gait testing. It provides a wide range of quantitative gait measures that appear to help to identify subclinical gait impairments in older adults.en-USBiologyBiophysicsBiotechnologyBioengineeringBiomedical EngineeringMedicineAnatomy and PhysiologyMusculoskeletal SystemBiomechanicsClinical Research DesignCohort StudiesDiagnostic MedicineTest EvaluationGeriatricsNeurologyMovement DisordersJournal Article2014-03-0110.1371/journal.pone.0068885