Accuracy of the figure of 8 walk test with and without dual-task to predict falls in older adults.

Background: The figure of eight walk test (F8W) is a measurement tool that examines the ability to walk on a curved path. Adding secondary tasks to the F8W test may increase its ability to predict falls in older adults.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of the F8W test and the F8W test with a dual-tasking in predicting future falls in older adults.

Methods: Eighty older adults between the ages of 60 and 80 were recruited. At the beginning of the study, participants completed the standard F8W test, F8W test with a cognitive task, and F8W test with a motor task. The number of falls was documented during a six-month follow-up. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare the accuracy for predicting falls. The cut-off points and the psychometric properties of the tests were computed.

Results: The F8W test with a motor task had the highest accuracy for predicting falls in older adults, with an AUC of 0.74 (95%CI = 0.63-0.83). The F8W with a motor task's optimal cut-off score was >12 s, with a sensitivity of 76.5% and a specificity of 65.0%.

Conclusion: The F8W with a motor task was a more potent tool for detecting fall risk than the standard F8W or the F8W with a cognitive task. Clinicians may utilize the F8W with a motor task as preliminary guidelines when making clinical judgments concerning older adults who are at risk of falling.