Researchers at Virginia Tech are using wrist-worn voice recorders to capture real-world data and better understand what happens when people lose their balance. The study, led by Michael Madigan in the College of Engineering, builds on years of his own seminal work and previous research conducted by the University of Michigan Medical School.
“In the past, researchers have asked participants to remember what they were doing when they lost balance, but memory can be unreliable,” Madigan said. “With this new method, participants record their experiences immediately after an incident, providing much more accurate and detailed information.”
The findings were recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and highlight how voice recorders captured the moment the participants, who had an average age of around 72, lost their balance. The study concludes that among older adults, voice recorders are effective in capturing the circumstances and context in which they lost their balance and potentially fell, without relying on later memories.
Partners:
- Michael Madigan, professor in the Department of Undergraduate Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech
- Neil Alexander, director, VA Ann Arbor Health Care System GRECC; University of Michigan: Ivan Duff Collegiate Professor of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine; Research Professor, Institute of Gerontology
View of the real world
In this study, 30 participants wore voice recorders on their wrists over the course of three weeks and, in the event of loss of balance, turned them on to record answers to these key questions:
- When and where did the balance loss occur?
- What were they doing at that time?
- How did they try to regain their balance: did they grab a railing, take steps, or sit down?
- Why do you think they lost their balance?
- Did they fall?
Madigan and his team analyzed this immediate and self-reported data. Instead of waiting to meet the researchers after losing their balance, participants could reflect on what happened at that moment.
“We’re trying to better understand the circumstances under which people lose their balance,” Madigan said. “This process does not require people to think back weeks or months about an incident, especially when memory may be unreliable.”
Participant experience
Maria Moll, a retired epidemiologist and study participant, found the research particularly significant, especially for someone in their 70s who remains physically active. After a friend suffered a fall, Moll became more interested in contributing to research on preventing loss of balance.
“I’ve always been interested in fitness and balance, especially as I get older,” Moll said. “This study made me more aware of my movements, particularly during more challenging activities like hiking.”
The future of real-world data collection
Looking ahead, the team plans to expand the study to larger groups and combine the data with other laboratory measurements. By doing so, they hope to identify people who are most at risk of losing their balance and develop strategies to proactively address those risks.
“We want to give doctors the tools to intervene before a fall occurs,” Madigan said. “This method can provide more reliable and detailed information that helps us understand not only how people lose balance, but also why.”