Objectives: To investigate the utility of a novel microprocessor-linked Step Watch Activity Monitor (SAM) to quantify ambulatory activity after stroke and to evaluate the validity and reliability of conventional accelerometers to measure free-living physical activity in this population.
Design: Cross-sectional with repeated measures of 2 separate 48-hour recordings in 17 persons wearing an ankle-mounted SAM and Caltrac, a hip-mounted mechanical accelerometer.
Setting: Home and community.
Purpose: Recovery of ambulatory function after stroke is routinely assessed using standardized subject- or observer-rated instruments that do not directly measure ambulatory activities in the home-community setting. Accuracy of conventional pedometers in stroke patients is not established, limiting their application in mobility outcomes monitoring. This study investigates the accuracy and reliability of a mechanical pedometer versus microprocessor-based step activity monitoring (SAM) in gait-impaired hemiparetic stroke patients.
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