Effect of usual footwear on balance and mobility while performing dual task in elderly women attending a day care hospital of pitampura, delhi

Abstract

Background- Elderly women, especially those 65 years of age or older are known to be at high risk of disequilibrium. Many anatomical and physiological changes have been suggested as reasons for the decrease in equilibrium found in the elderly population. Footwear, being at the interface between the body and the supporting surface has the potential to affect balance and subsequently, the risk of falling. Older people who perform poorly under dual-tasks are at increased risk of falls. We limited our focus to elderly women because they are at higher risk for disablement than are men. Objective- To determine whether footwear affected performance of balance and mobility while performing dual task in elderly women aged 60 to 80 years. Methods- A Total of 30 subjects were invited to participate in the study. Subjects performed the tasks (TUG and BBS) under dual task condition barefooted and with footwear. The mean and standard deviation of the collected data was calculated. Further, t value, p value was calculated to know the level of significance. Result- Result of the mean scores of TUG under dual task (motor + cognitive) showed significant decrease in time while performing it with footwear. Similarly while performing balance activity with dual task (motor + cognitive) during barefoot or with footwear it showed significant changes when wearing footwear. Conclusion- It was found that wearing footwear as compared to going barefoot was associated with significant changes in balance and mobility scores under dual task condition in elderly women aged 60 to 80 years attending a day care hospital. Taking into account the findings of increased falls risk in elderly women who go barefoot, we recommend that elderly women at risk of falls do not go barefoot while walking.