The Effect of External Focus of Attention Instruction during Walking Training on Old Women's Gait Kinematic Parameters

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of external focus of attention instruction during walking training on old women’s gait kinematic parameters including stride length, velocity, variability of velocity, cadence and double support percent. For this purpose, 16 old women (mean age 69.8+4 years) were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (each group 8 subjects). Pretest, posttest, control group design was used in this study. The experimental group preformed an easy secondary task including rehearsing random strings of digits during walking on a certain pathway; they had to verbally recall these strings at the end of the pathway. The control group performed the same procedure without the secondary task. The groups trained for 12 weeks and 3 sessions per week. Paired t test was used to compare the difference in the mean scores before (pretest) and after (posttest) intervention in each group. Independent t test was also used to evaluate the differences in means between experimental and control groups. The results showed no significant differences between pretest and posttest mean scores of stride length, velocity, variability of velocity, cadence and double support percent in control group (P>0.05), but the differences between pretest and posttest mean scores of stride length, velocity, variability of velocity for experimental group were significant (P<0.05). The results also showed significant differences in posttest mean scores of stride length, velocity, variability of velocity of gait between the two groups (P<0.05), but not in cadence and double support percent (P>0.05). It can be concluded that external attention instruction during walking training can influence some gait kinematic parameters of old women. It seems that the intervention used in this study could effectively influence old women’s gait pattern through modifying attention process.