Verbal counting during walk influences fractal dynamics and fluctuation of gait in frailty adults and those with a history of cranial nerve disease

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H06732
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Fundamental nursing
• Research Institution: Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts
• Principal Investigator: Tsugita Naomi 同志社女子大学, 看護学部, 助手 (60756211)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 歩行リズム / 掛け声 / １/fゆらぎ / フラクタル解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study compared gait with and without the participants’ own verbal counting in frail individuals (n=25; 75.8 ± 8.5 years), those with a history of cranial nerve disease (n=14; 74.4 ± 8.5 years), and those with a history of orthopedic disease (n=21; 72.3 ± 5.8 years) (all subjects n=71; 73.0 ± 6.5 years). Time-series walking data were obtained using footswitches set in the participants’ shoes, and the fractal scaling index (α) was calculated. When the participants were divided into two groups by the α, the α significantly increased only in the lower α group during walking with verbal counting in all subjects and those with a history of orthopedic disease.

Free Research Field

看護学