The effect of time of day and cognitive dual task on spatiotemporal parameters of walking gait of the elderly

Walking is not an automatic function and cognitive tasks can affect controlling the mobility and balance of elderly people while walking. This research aims to investigate the effect of time of day on the spatial, temporal, and spatial parameters of walking with and without cognitive dual tasks in the elderly.

The current study was descriptive-analytical. 24 elderly men and women with an age range of 60-70 years participated. After controlling the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the subjects entered the study. People in two states of normal walking and walking with a dual cognitive task walked a 10-meter path at two different times of the day. Spatial, temporal and spatial parameters were recorded through motion analysis cameras and then extracted using Cortex software as a percentage of the length of the walking cycle. The statistical analysis of the data was done using the two-way ANOVA test with a significance level of 0.05.

The results showed that walking with a dual task reduces the cadence and walking speed compared to normal walking. Also, the durations of step, stride, double and single support, stance, and swing in walking with dual tasks showed a significant decrease compared to normal walking (p≥0.05). Spatial, temporal, and spatial parameters walking at different times of the day and the interaction between time of day and walking mode did not show any significant difference.

Based on the results of the present study, the time of day has no effect on the parameters of walking, while the simultaneous implementation of the dual cognitive task can cause gait disturbance and consequently increase the probability of falling in the elderly.