Hussain Shirin R, Wright W Geoffrey
Department of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
Sensors (Basel). 2025 Feb 28;25(5):1505. doi: 10.3390/s25051505.
Traditional assessments of balance and postural control often face challenges related to accessibility, cost, subjectivity, and inter-rater reliability. With advancements in technology, smartphones equipped with inertial measurement units (IMUs) are emerging as a promising tool for assessing postural control, measuring both static and dynamic motion. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel smartphone application by comparing it with research-grade posturography instruments, including motion capture and force plate systems to establish construct- and criterion-related validity. Twenty-two participants completed the quiet stance under varying visual (eyes open-EO; eyes closed-EC) and surface (Firm vs. Foam) conditions, with data collected from the smartphone, force plate, and motion capture systems. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Pearson correlation coefficients assessed the reliability and validity for all outcome measures (sway area and sway velocity). The results demonstrated reliability, with strong validity between the devices. A repeated-measures ANOVA found no significant differences between the devices. Postural outcomes revealed the significant main effects of both the visual (EO vs. EC) and surface (Firm vs. Foam) conditions. In conclusion, the study demonstrated the validity, sensitivity, and accuracy of the custom-designed smartphone app, offering the potential for bridging the gap between at-home and clinical balance assessments.
传统的平衡和姿势控制评估往往面临与可及性、成本、主观性和评分者间可靠性相关的挑战。随着技术的进步，配备惯性测量单元（IMU）的智能手机正成为评估姿势控制、测量静态和动态运动的一种有前景的工具。本研究旨在通过将一款新型智能手机应用程序与包括动作捕捉和测力板系统在内的研究级姿势描记仪器进行比较，来开发并验证该程序，以建立结构效度和效标关联效度。22名参与者在不同的视觉（睁眼-EO；闭眼-EC）和表面（硬地面与泡沫地面）条件下完成安静站立，同时从智能手机、测力板和动作捕捉系统收集数据。组内相关系数（ICC）和皮尔逊相关系数评估了所有结果指标（摆动面积和摆动速度）的可靠性和效度。结果表明该程序具有可靠性，且各设备之间具有较强的效度。重复测量方差分析发现各设备之间无显著差异。姿势结果显示视觉（EO与EC）和表面（硬地面与泡沫地面）条件均有显著的主效应。总之，该研究证明了定制的智能手机应用程序的效度、敏感性和准确性，为弥合家庭平衡评估与临床平衡评估之间的差距提供了可能性。
