ORIGINAL PAPER
Evaluating fall risk in community-dwelling older adults through balance assessment with the Nintendo Wii Balance Board
1
Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand
Submission date: 2024-09-19
Acceptance date: 2025-01-14
Publication date: 2025-03-31
Corresponding author
Weerasak Tapanya
Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Phayao, 19/2 Maeka Subdistrict, Muang District, Phayao 56000, Thailand
Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Phayao, 19/2 Maeka Subdistrict, Muang District, Phayao 56000, Thailand
Hum Mov. 2025;26(1):161-171
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Purpose:
Falls among older adults, affecting one-third of those aged 65 and above, pose a critical global health concern. This study focuses on using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board (NWBB) to measure the centre of pressure (CoP) sway length, aiming to identify and validate fall risk in older individuals.
Methods:
Utilising a cross-sectional study design, sixty older adult females aged 65 and above (mean age: 71.03 ± 5.58 years) were classified into fall and non-fall groups based on whether they had experienced one or more fall events in the last six months. Comprehensive CoP sway measurements were conducted on the NWBB using various conditions.
Results:
Results indicated significant differences in CoP sway variables, particularly in conditions with eyes open/closed on a soft surface (EO/SS and EC/SS) in both anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions (p < 0.001). A strong positive correlation was found between the time to complete five-time sit-to-stand (Tsit to stand) tests and CoP sway length in EC/ SS conditions for AP (r = 0.761, p < 0.001) and ML directions (r = 0.729, p < 0.001). The study identified an optimal cut-off score for AP sway in EC/SS (> 3.89 cm) with 90.0% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Conclusions:
The NWBB effectively detects variations in CoP sway during quiet standing on a soft surface, proving valuable for identifying older adults at risk of falling. This research enhances fall risk assessment insights, emphasising the NWBB’s practicality as a tool for pinpointing older individuals susceptible to falls.
Falls among older adults, affecting one-third of those aged 65 and above, pose a critical global health concern. This study focuses on using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board (NWBB) to measure the centre of pressure (CoP) sway length, aiming to identify and validate fall risk in older individuals.
Methods:
Utilising a cross-sectional study design, sixty older adult females aged 65 and above (mean age: 71.03 ± 5.58 years) were classified into fall and non-fall groups based on whether they had experienced one or more fall events in the last six months. Comprehensive CoP sway measurements were conducted on the NWBB using various conditions.
Results:
Results indicated significant differences in CoP sway variables, particularly in conditions with eyes open/closed on a soft surface (EO/SS and EC/SS) in both anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions (p < 0.001). A strong positive correlation was found between the time to complete five-time sit-to-stand (Tsit to stand) tests and CoP sway length in EC/ SS conditions for AP (r = 0.761, p < 0.001) and ML directions (r = 0.729, p < 0.001). The study identified an optimal cut-off score for AP sway in EC/SS (> 3.89 cm) with 90.0% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Conclusions:
The NWBB effectively detects variations in CoP sway during quiet standing on a soft surface, proving valuable for identifying older adults at risk of falling. This research enhances fall risk assessment insights, emphasising the NWBB’s practicality as a tool for pinpointing older individuals susceptible to falls.
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