TITLE:
Examination of the Usefulness of the Obstacle-Single Leg forward Step (OSFS) Test for Evaluating Fall Risk
AUTHORS:
Sohee Shin, Shinichi Demura, Toshiro SATO
KEYWORDS:
The Elderly, Faller/Non-Faller, Fall
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Physical Education,
Vol.1 No.2,
November
8,
2011
ABSTRACT: This study aimed to examine the usefulness of the Obstacle-Single leg forward step (OSFS) test for evaluating fall risk and fall-related physical fitness. One hundred and eighty four older women were divided into fallers (n = 47) who had a fall experience within the last year and non-fallers who had not (n = 137). In the OSFS test, they stepped forward over an obstacle and returned to their original position five times as quickly as possible. The OSFS test was also examined in the following divided phases: the OSFS-F phase in which participants stepped out and the OSFS-R phase in which they returned to the stepped leg. A mean time of five steps was used for analysis. In addition, the 10 meter walk and one leg standing with open eyes tests were conducted and the better times were used for analysis. The times of the non-fallers were shorter in the OSFS test, 10meter walk time, and were longer in the one-leg standing time than those of the fallers (p-value: OSFS 0.025, 10meter 0.046, One-leg standing time 0.028). A significant difference was found only in the OSFS-R, the non-fallers showed shorter time than the fallers (p-value: OSFS-F 0.354, OSFS-R 0.010). The OSFS test can discriminate the difference between fallers and non-fallers with the same accuracy as the 10meter walk time and one-leg standing time tests.