Validity of IMU sensors for assessing features of walking in laboratory and outdoor environments among older adults.

Introduction: IMU sensors (three-dimensional accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer) enable assessment of walking in older adults outside the laboratory. We studied whether IMUs are valid for detecting walking parameters (step events, time, length, and cadence) in a laboratory and outdoors on a level surface in older adults.

Methods: This validation study is part of a larger cross-sectional study.

Gait Features in Different Environments Contributing to Participation in Outdoor Activities in Old Age (GaitAge): Protocol for an Observational Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The ability to walk is a key issue for independent old age. Optimizing older peoples' opportunities for an autonomous and active life and reducing health disparities requires a better understanding of how to support independent mobility in older people. With increasing age, changes in gait parameters such as step length and cadence are common and have been shown to increase the risk of mobility decline.