Lausanne Cohorte of older adults
- Contact person: Anisoara Ionescu
- People involved: Anisoara Ionescu, Arash Atrsaei, Kamiar Aminian
- Partners: Prof. B. Santos-Eggimann – Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (IUMSP) of the Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV), Prof. Christophe Büla – Geriatrics and Geriatric Rehabiliation Service, CHUV
- Funding source: Public funds
Overview
The Lausanne Cohorte LC65+ is a longitudinal research study on ageing and its effects on the quality of life of older adults. The main goal is to better understand the onset of frailty in a large group of more than 3000 independent, community‑dwelling participants. The evolution of health status and recourse to medical care are studied at several intervals. Participants also perform cognitive and mobility tests every three years. These mobility tests have been instrumented using wearable inertial sensors and include gait and balance functional assessments.
Methods
Participants of the LC65+ perform gait and balance tests at the Lausanne University Hospital every three years. These tests include 20m walking with and without dual tasking, and postural transitions (i.e. rising from a chair and sitting down). The participants are equipped with inertial sensors Physilog® (GaitUp, CH), one sensor on each foot and on the trunk. These functional tests are performed in a laboratory setting.
Outcomes
The results of detailed gait analysis has provided a normative reference for several classical spatio‑temporal gait parameters including gait speed, cadence, cycle phase durations, and foot clearance i.e. the height of the foot with respect to the ground during the swing phase of gait. It was also suggested that foot clearance should be analyzed as a separate parameter since it is related to obstacle avoidance and consequently fall prevention. The low correlation between foot clearance and gait speed in a sample of around 1400 subjects further asserts this claim.
Main Publications
Dadashi F, Mariani B, Rochat S, Büla CJ, Santos-Eggimann B, Aminian K., “Gait and Foot Clearance Parameters Obtained Using Shoe-Worn Inertial Sensors in a Large-Population Sample of Older Adults”, Sensors (Basel). 2013 Dec 27;14(1):443-57.
Rochat S, Büla CJ, Martin E, Seematter-Bagnoud L, Karmaniola A, Aminian K, Piot-Ziegler C, Santos-Eggimann B., “What is the relationship between fear of falling and gait in well-functioning older persons aged 65 to 70 years?”, Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2010 Jun;91(6):879-84.