Test-retest reliability of a pendant-worn sensor device in measuring chair rise performance in older persons

Sensors (Basel). 2014 May 16;14(5):8705-17. doi: 10.3390/s140508705.

Abstract

Chair rise performance is incorporated in clinical assessments to indicate fall risk status in older persons. This study investigated the test-retest reliability of a pendant-sensor-based assessment of chair rise performance. Forty-one older persons (28 females, 13 males, age: 72-94) were assessed in two sessions with 3 to 8 days in between. Repeated chair rise transfers were measured after different instructions. Relative and absolute test-retest reliability of chair rise measurements in individual tests and average over all tests were evaluated by means of intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) and standard error of measurement (SEM) as a percentage of the measurement mean. Systematic bias between the measurements in test and retest was examined with paired t-tests. Heteroscedasticity of the measurements was visually checked with Bland-Altman plots. In the different test conditions, the ICCs ranged between 0.63 and 0.93, and the SEM% ranged between 5.7% and 21.2%. The relative and absolute reliability of the average over all tests were ICC = 0.86 and SEM% = 9.5% for transfer duration, ICC = 0.93 and SEM% = 9.2% for maximum vertical acceleration, and ICC = 0.89 and SEM% = 10.0% for peak power. The results over all tests indicated that a fall risk assessment application based on pendant-worn-sensor measured chair rise performance in daily life might be feasible.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Accelerometry / instrumentation*
  • Actigraphy / instrumentation*
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Female
  • Geriatric Assessment / methods*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation*
  • Movement / physiology*
  • Postural Balance / physiology*
  • Posture / physiology*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity