Abstract
Research question: Does balance of older adults improve after a 6-week unsupervised home-based exergaming training program?
Introduction: Over the last decade, exercise videogames (exergames) have gained in popularity as a tool for improving balance ability [1], [2], [3]. Exergames are computer games that are controlled through bodily movements. We recently developed an exergame, enabling community dwelling older adults to train balance in their home environment without supervision and using affordable technology.
Materials and methods: The user controls a virtual ice skater on a frozen canal by shifting his bodyweight in both lateral directions, thereby regulating speed and direction of the avatar. Increasing body sway amplitude and sway frequency results in a higher skating speed, resulting in higher scores. Before, after 2 and 4 weeks of training, and after the intervention, postural control was examined, by measuring sway characteristics during 45 s of quiet standing barefoot on a Pressure Mat System (MatScan® 3150, South Boston, USA) in eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC) and dual task (DT) conditions. The following parameters were calculated from the centre of pressure signals: summed distance in anteriorposterior and mediolateral direction, mean sway velocity, root mean square distance, sway area, the total power and the 95% power frequency. Additionally balance was evaluated using the narrow ridge balance test (NRBT). Multilevel modeling (MLwin) was applied to examine changes in balance. A two-level hierarchical model was constructed, and a separate model was built for each outcome measure.
Results: Participants played on average 631 (±124) minutes over a period of 6 weeks and no subjects dropped out. Improved sway characteristics in time and frequency domain (P < 0.05) were observed in EO and EC condition after 4 and 6 weeks of training. The rate of balance improvement showed differences (P < 0.05) between participants, not related to total playtime. No effects were found in DT condition and on the NRBT.
Introduction: Over the last decade, exercise videogames (exergames) have gained in popularity as a tool for improving balance ability [1], [2], [3]. Exergames are computer games that are controlled through bodily movements. We recently developed an exergame, enabling community dwelling older adults to train balance in their home environment without supervision and using affordable technology.
Materials and methods: The user controls a virtual ice skater on a frozen canal by shifting his bodyweight in both lateral directions, thereby regulating speed and direction of the avatar. Increasing body sway amplitude and sway frequency results in a higher skating speed, resulting in higher scores. Before, after 2 and 4 weeks of training, and after the intervention, postural control was examined, by measuring sway characteristics during 45 s of quiet standing barefoot on a Pressure Mat System (MatScan® 3150, South Boston, USA) in eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC) and dual task (DT) conditions. The following parameters were calculated from the centre of pressure signals: summed distance in anteriorposterior and mediolateral direction, mean sway velocity, root mean square distance, sway area, the total power and the 95% power frequency. Additionally balance was evaluated using the narrow ridge balance test (NRBT). Multilevel modeling (MLwin) was applied to examine changes in balance. A two-level hierarchical model was constructed, and a separate model was built for each outcome measure.
Results: Participants played on average 631 (±124) minutes over a period of 6 weeks and no subjects dropped out. Improved sway characteristics in time and frequency domain (P < 0.05) were observed in EO and EC condition after 4 and 6 weeks of training. The rate of balance improvement showed differences (P < 0.05) between participants, not related to total playtime. No effects were found in DT condition and on the NRBT.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S86-S87 |
| Journal | Gait & posture |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | Suppl. 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 24th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Movement analysis in Adults and Children, ESMAC 2015 - Madrid, Spain Duration: 6 Jul 2015 → 10 Jul 2015 Conference number: 24 |
Keywords
- n/a OA procedure