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. 2024 Nov 15;24(1):947.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05380-9.

Standing balance test for fall prediction in older adults: a 6-month longitudinal study

Daniela Cristina Carvalho de Abreu  1 , Anne Caroline Lima Bandeira  2 , Paola Errera Magnani  2 , Douglas Augusto de Oliveira Grigoletto  2 , José Roberto de Faria Junior  2 , Vitor Roberto Sanchez Teixeira  2 , Victoria Message Fuentes  2 , Roberta de Matos Brunelli Braghin  3
Affiliations

Standing balance test for fall prediction in older adults: a 6-month longitudinal study

Daniela Cristina Carvalho de Abreu et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: A core component of older adult health care assessment includes identifying fall risk, which also includes identifying those with subtle balance deficits.

Objective: To compare body displacement of the Center of Pressure (CoP) and time held during the balance test. Also, to examine whether balance tests at baseline can predict falls after 6 months.

Methods: A longitudinal study with 153 community-dwelling older adults, between 60-89 years old. Anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) amplitude and velocity CoP displacements were assessed in four upright positions using a force platform: double-leg, semi-tandem, tandem, and single-leg stances, with a maximum duration of 30 s each. Adjusted repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare the differences among the balance positions. Comparisons between males and females were also conducted. Logistic regression adjusted for confounders was performed to verify whether upright balance tests can predict future falls.

Results: As the base of support narrows, body sway increases. A decrease in stance time was observed across the balance stages, i.e., double-leg/semi-tandem versus tandem versus single-leg stances. The mean duration held in the single-leg stance was 14.8 s and for tandem was 22.2 s. Similar stance durations were observed for double-leg and semi-tandem stances. Males were able to maintain balance positions longer than females even with greater CoP displacement. ML amplitude of CoP displacement and the time held during tandem and single-leg positions were able to predict falls after 6 months (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: In clinical practice in which only stance time is recorded, it is possible to interchangeably use the double-leg or semi-tandem stance. To identify early signs of imbalance, we suggest setting a time limit for the balance test equal to or greater than 23 s, as 10 s appear to be insufficient to detect subtle balance deficits. The time maintenance on tandem and single-leg positions was able to predict future falls.

Keywords: Aging; Body sway; Center of pressure; Force platform; Sex difference.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee at Clinical Hospital of Ribeirao Preto Medical School (CAAE: 50631615.9.0000.5440) and all participants signed the informed consent form to participate, following Helsinki’s declaration procedures for human research studies. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.

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