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A. Feldman1, M. Kafri2, Y. Lerman3, N. Rotem Lehrer4
1Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Physical Therapy Department, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2University of Haifa, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, Haifa, Israel, 3Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Geriatric Department, Tel Aviv, Israel, 4Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
Background: Physical activity is recognized as an important factor of health in older people and special populations. As a result, emphasis was placed on developing tools for an objective assessment of activity. The validity of existing activity monitors was tested primarily in healthy populations, and to a much lesser extent in patient populations (e.g. post-stroke patients), whose unique movement characteristics may affect validity. The validity of the Dynaport MoveMonitor+ (McRoberts, The Hague, The Netherlands), a widely used activity monitor, has not been tested in patients post-stroke.
Purpose: To examine the concurrent validity of MoveMonitor+ activity monitor for measuring body posture and step count in patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation after stroke.
Methods: Eighteen participants (median age=81 years, mean walking speed=0.54±0.15 meter/sec.) undergoing inpatient rehabilitation after stroke participated. They performed a structured protocol that included switching between body postures. Thirteen of them, who were able to walk independently, also completed a short distance walking test. Body positions were recorded simultaneously by the MoveMonitor+ and a video, and walking was simultaneously recorded by the MoveMonitor+, a StepwatchTM and video.
Results: MoveMonitor+ accuracy was excellent in identifying supine position (r=0.841-0.991, p<0.001), moderate for sitting (r=0.510, p<0.001) and low for standing position (r=0.075, p<0.001). Correlation of step count between MoveMonitor+ and StepWatch and between MoveMonitor+ and video recordings was low (ICC=0.271 and ICC=0.23 respectively).
Conclusion(s): Among patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation after stroke, the MoveMonitor+ does not enable valid measurement of the full range of body positions and of step count.
Implications: The findings indicate the need to validate activity monitors specifically for patients after stroke. Factors that impact activity monitors validity, such as the location of the sensors on the body, should be further explored.
Funding, acknowledgements: Nothing to declare.
Keywords: accelerometer, activity monitors, Physical activity
Topic: Neurology: stroke
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel
Committee: The Helsinki committee of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center , Israel
Ethics number: 0425-18-TLV
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
