Exploring gait-related dual task tests in community-dwelling fallers and non-faller: a pilot study

The best test to assess dual task (DT)-related falls' risk is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate differences between community-dwelling fallers and non-fallers on a variety of simple task combinations. Twenty-seven adults, aged 65 years or older, took part. Forty-eight DT tests and one triple task (TT) test were conducted. Fallers had longer walking time when avoiding a moving obstacle and performing a motor task and longer walking time when triple tasking, as suggested by a measure of proportionate difference between single and DT/TT conditions (p¿=¿0.014 and 0.044, respectively). The absolute difference in accuracy on a visuospatial task suggested that fallers were more accurate than non-fallers when combined with walking with turns and when triple tasking (p¿=¿0.048 and 0.030, respectively).