TY - JOUR
T1 - Walking While Talking
T2 - Effect of Task Prioritization in the Elderly
AU - Verghese, Joe
AU - Kuslansky, Gail
AU - Holtzer, Roee
AU - Katz, Mindy
AU - Xue, Xiaonan
AU - Buschke, Herman
AU - Pahor, Marco
PY - 2007/1
Y1 - 2007/1
N2 - Verghese J, Kuslansky G, Holtzer R, Katz M, Xue X, Buschke H, Pahor M. Walking while talking: effect of task prioritization in the elderly. Objective: To examine the effect of 2 instructions on the same walking while talking (WWT) task on task prioritization by nondisabled subjects. Design: Cross-sectional survey with within subject comparisons. Setting: Community-based sample. Participants: Older adults (N=189; mean age, 80.2±4.9y), who did not meet criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, for dementia and were able to independently perform activities of daily living. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Verbal and gait measures on the same WWT task with 2 different instructions: paying attention to both talking and walking (WWT-C) and paying attention only to talking (WWT-T). Results: Task prioritization effects were seen on walking but not on talking. Compared with their baseline normal walking velocity (without talking), subjects slowed down more on WWT-T (median change, 28.3%) than WWT-C (median change, 26.4%). Comparing the 2 WWT conditions, velocity and cadence was slower during WWT-T compared with WWT-C, with longer stride length. Verbal output was not significantly different on the 2 conditions. Conclusions: Changing instructions while maintaining the same cognitive and motor tasks on WWT in older adults result in task prioritization effects.
AB - Verghese J, Kuslansky G, Holtzer R, Katz M, Xue X, Buschke H, Pahor M. Walking while talking: effect of task prioritization in the elderly. Objective: To examine the effect of 2 instructions on the same walking while talking (WWT) task on task prioritization by nondisabled subjects. Design: Cross-sectional survey with within subject comparisons. Setting: Community-based sample. Participants: Older adults (N=189; mean age, 80.2±4.9y), who did not meet criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, for dementia and were able to independently perform activities of daily living. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Verbal and gait measures on the same WWT task with 2 different instructions: paying attention to both talking and walking (WWT-C) and paying attention only to talking (WWT-T). Results: Task prioritization effects were seen on walking but not on talking. Compared with their baseline normal walking velocity (without talking), subjects slowed down more on WWT-T (median change, 28.3%) than WWT-C (median change, 26.4%). Comparing the 2 WWT conditions, velocity and cadence was slower during WWT-T compared with WWT-C, with longer stride length. Verbal output was not significantly different on the 2 conditions. Conclusions: Changing instructions while maintaining the same cognitive and motor tasks on WWT in older adults result in task prioritization effects.
KW - Attention
KW - Elderly
KW - Rehabilitation
KW - Walking
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U2 - 10.1016/j.apmr.2006.10.007
DO - 10.1016/j.apmr.2006.10.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 17207675
AN - SCOPUS:33845883525
SN - 0003-9993
VL - 88
SP - 50
EP - 53
JO - Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
JF - Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
IS - 1
ER -