This pilot study aimed to promote the SLHS as an advanced balance assessment tool by investigating its Center of Pressure (COP) parameters and their association with gait parameters during dual-task walking in young adults. We sought to compare daily dual-task conditions involving smartphone manipulation during walking and determine whether COP metrics are associated with gait performance.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 15 healthy young adults (7 males) aged 21.5 ± 1.4 years, with a height of 162.5 ± 7.8 cm and a weight of 57.1 ± 13.0 kg. Participants first performed usual walking on the GAITRite mat (4.6 m long by 0.9 m wide) to establish baseline gait parameters. Subsequently, they performed the three dual-task conditions in random order: (1) Cognitive-Motor Task (DTC): Watching a short video on the phone during walking; (2) Motor-Motor Task (DTM): Finger tapping on the phone during walking; and (3) Mixed Dual-Task (DTMix): Playing a mobile game during walking. The SLHS task, requiring five continuous hops with comfortable effort and stable landing for 2–3 s, was also performed on the GAITRite mat to collect COP data, including displacement, velocity, and 95% ellipse area. Repeated measures ANOVA and Pearson correlation analyses were used to compare gait parameters between dual-task conditions and assess associations between COP parameters and gait metrics.
A potential velocity difference between dual-task conditions was observed (p = 0.122), with a significantly greater velocity decrease in DTMix (−12.9%) compared to DTM (−8.1%) (adjusted p = 0.017). COP results from the SLHS indicated advanced dynamic balance functioning, as reflected by the total displacement in mediolateral (ML; 4.2 ± 0.5 m) and anteroposterior (AP; 1.1 ± 0.2 m) directions, velocity in ML (19.8 ± 1.7 cm/s) and AP (7.8 ± 1.0 cm/s) directions, and 95% ellipse area (17.5 ± 0.5 cm²). Notably, only the mean velocity in the ML direction was significantly associated with the DTMix effect (r = 0.55, p = 0.033).
Our preliminary findings suggest that the SLHS is a valuable tool for assessing advanced dynamic balance and is significantly associated with gait performance under dual-task conditions in young adults. Future studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to validate these findings and explore the applicability of the SLHS in older adult populations or those with balance impairments.
This study promotes the use of the SLHS as an advanced balance assessment, as well as a higher level of DTM, for clinicians and researchers in physical therapy. The findings highlight the potential of the SLHS to identify individuals at risk of gait impairments during multitasking activities, thereby informing the development of targeted interventions aimed at improving balance and mobility.
Dynamic Balance
Dual-Task
