Kanazawa University Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kakuma, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2010 Nov-Dec;51(3):333-7. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2010.01.014. Epub 2010 Mar 3.
This study is aimed at examining the relationship between stipulated tempo step tests, daily activity ability, and gait time. One hundred and thirty healthy elderly women performed the step test in which they stepped in place for 20s while matching a metronome beat to tempos of 40, 60, and 120 bpm, respectively. The evaluation parameter was the time difference between the metronome sound and the time when subject's foot hit the ground. The subjects were divided into four groups according to (1) whether they had experienced a fall and (2) activity level. The time difference showed significantly greater variance in the order of 40, 60 and 120 bpm in both groups of high activity and low activity. A significant time difference between groups was found only in the 40 bpm tempo where the low activity group's value was higher. The correlations between the time difference and gait time were significant in all tempos of both groups (r=0.24-0.41). The time differences in 40 and 60 bpm step tests showed significant and moderate correlations (r=0.52-0.60) with gait time in the low activity group, but low correlations (r=0.29-0.30) in the high activity group. In conclusion, the stipulated step test can evaluate the level of daily activity ability in the elderly at home and it is effective in evaluating their balance ability.
本研究旨在探讨规定的踏频测试、日常活动能力和步态时间之间的关系。130 名健康的老年女性进行了踏频测试，她们以 40、60 和 120 bpm 的节拍器节拍分别踏 20 秒。评估参数是节拍器声音与受试者脚着地时间之间的时间差。根据（1）是否经历过跌倒和（2）活动水平，将受试者分为四组。在高活动组和低活动组中，时间差在 40、60 和 120 bpm 的顺序下表现出明显更大的方差。仅在 40 bpm 踏频时，低活动组的时间差较高，两组之间存在显著的时间差。在所有组的所有踏频下，时间差与步态时间之间均存在显著相关性（r=0.24-0.41）。在低活动组中，40 和 60 bpm 踏频测试的时间差与步态时间呈显著中度相关性（r=0.52-0.60），而在高活动组中相关性较低（r=0.29-0.30）。综上所述，规定的踏频测试可以在家中评估老年人的日常活动能力水平，并且可以有效地评估他们的平衡能力。
