Dual Task Gait Parameters in Older Adults With and Without Fear of Falling: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The aim of this systematic review was to examine the correlation between fear of falling and dual task gait parameters in older adults.

Method and Materials:

 The present study is a systematic review and meta-analysis. An English search of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases was conducted in January 2022, using the four main concepts, namely “Elderly, Fear of falling, Gait, and Dual task”. Modified Downs and Black checklist was utilized to assess the quality of the included studies.

Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 articles out of 2368 were included in the review. All the articles were of acceptable quality. On account of the quorum of meta- analysis, it could only be conducted in the velocity parameter (4 studies were included). An analysis of the correlation between the fear of falling and dual task gait velocity based on 95% confidence intervals found a significant difference between dual task gait velocity with and without the fear of falling (P=0.06, I2=50%, 95% CI: 0.31-0.51).

This study demonstrated that the fear of falling deteriorates some of the dual task gait characteristics in healthy and cognitively intact older adults, and that this reduction can be varied by the difficulty of the dual task (cognitive or manual).