Predicting the probability for falls in community-dwelling older adults using the Timed Up & Go Test.

Phys Ther

Division of Physical Therapy, University of Washington, Box 356490, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.

Published: September 2000

Background And Purpose: This study examined the sensitivity and specificity of the Timed Up & Go Test (TUG) under single-task versus dual-task conditions for identifying elderly individuals who are prone to falling.

Subjects: Fifteen older adults with no history of falls (mean age=78 years, SD=6, range=65-85) and 15 older adults with a history of 2 or more falls in the previous 6 months (mean age=86.2 years, SD=6, range=76-95) participated.

Methods: Time taken to complete the TUG under 3 conditions (TUG, TUG with a subtraction task [TUGcognitive], and TUG while carrying a full cup of water [TUGmanual]) was measured. A multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant function and logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results: The TUG was found to be a sensitive (sensitivity=87%) and specific (specificity=87%) measure for identifying elderly individuals who are prone to falls. For both groups of older adults, simultaneous performance of an additional task increased the time taken to complete the TUG, with the greatest effect in the older adults with a history of falls. The TUG scores with or without an additional task (cognitive or manual) were equivalent with respect to identifying fallers and nonfallers.

Conclusion And Discussion: The results suggest that the TUG is a sensitive and specific measure for identifying community-dwelling adults who are at risk for falls. The ability to predict falls is not enhanced by adding a secondary task when performing the TUG.

Download full-text PDF

Source

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

older adults
20
adults history
12
history falls
12
tug
10
timed test
8
identifying elderly
8
elderly individuals
8
individuals prone
8
years sd=6
8
time complete
8

Similar Publications

Background: There is a high prevalence of depression among refugee youth in low- and middle-income countries, yet depression trajectories are understudied. This study examined depression trajectories, and factors associated with trajectories, among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study with refugee youth aged 16-24 in Kampala, Uganda.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to investigate the effects of physical multimorbidity on the trajectory of cognitive decline over 17 years and whether vary across wealth status. The study was conducted in 9035 respondents aged 50+ at baseline from nine waves (2002-2019) of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. A latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of physical multimorbidity, and mixed multilevel models were performed to determine the association between physical multimorbidity and trajectories of cognitive decline.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite significant advancements in the development of psychotropic medications, increasing adherence rates remain a challenge in the treatment and management of psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study is to qualitatively explore the challenges underlying medication adherence and strategies to improve it among adolescents with psychiatric disorders in Malaysia. This qualitative research design presents results from 17 semi-structured interviews with adolescent psychiatric patients, aged 11 to 19 years old, from public hospitals across Peninsular Malaysia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study analyzes 2022 data from SAMHSA's Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) to investigate ADHD prevalence and comorbidity. The findings reveal that 10.70% of the 5,899,698 patients were diagnosed with ADHD, indicating a high demand for targeted resources.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Obesity is related to a wide variety of medical and psychological comorbidities which has short- and long-term effects on children's mental health. One of the most significant ones is depression. Thus, the current study utilized a descriptive methodology to explore the differences in depressive symptoms among overweight, obese, and normal-weight Palestinian children and adolescents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!