Poster Q5 - Comparing Fall Risk Using Smartphone on Obese vs Non-Obese Osteoporotic Fallers

Introduction: The rapid increase in the obese population in the United States poses a significant health risk, with estimating 41.9% of adults classified as obese. Obesity is an accumulation of body fat, which is linked to numerous health issues, including stroke and cardiovascular diseases, decrease in life expectancy. In addition, osteoporosis is a condition that has decreased bone density where the fall has significantly increased fracture risk. This prevalence is mostly dangerous for an older adult, as it causes a substantial issue to their health, particularly concerning fall risk. Previous studies have indicated that faller obese individuals have less gait and postural stability. In this study, we focused on comparing the risk of falls between obese and non-obese individuals with osteoporosis using wearable smartphone technology, to assess the patient’s postural stability. By utilizing the advantage of the convenience and versatile application of smartphones, the objective of this research is to improve the understanding of how obesity influences balance and fall risk in patients with osteoporosis patients.

Materials and

Methods: A total of eleven osteoporosis faller subjects were recruited from the Mayo Clinic, Endocrinology Department, (4 Obese & 7 Non-Obese patients). The anthropometric data of the subjects were the following: To identify individuals with obesity, patients with a BMI larger than 30 were indicated as obese and non-obesity was indicated as 18.5 < BMI < 25. Moreover, faller participants were selected based on having experienced at least one fall in the past year. The study included subjects capable of maintaining balance for 60 seconds. Exclusion criteria involved those who had surgery within the past 6 months, had comorbid conditions, mental illness, dementia, cardiac, respiratory, or neurodegenerative disorders, experienced shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, and those requiring an assistive device. Prior to any data collection, participants fully reviewed the consent form, had the opportunity to ask questions, and then signed the consent form. The postural stability testing was conducted in a quiet environment, where participants were asked to stand still, facing forward, focusing on a specified point for 60 seconds. The data on postural stability was saved directly onto the smartphone. The testing was completed in a clinic area designed for postural stability assessments, equipped with adequate lighting and space (Mayo Clinic, Division of Endocrinology 13400 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85259).

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: In this study, the result indicated that the faller group with obese has depicted significantly increased sway path length (35.92 ±7.72 cm) compared to non-obese individuals (24.05 ±6.6 cm). Additionally, the obese group’s sway velocity (6.19 ±1.33 cm/s) and area (17.26 ± 9.36 cm2) results were significantly higher compared to the non-obese individual’s velocity (4.15 ± 1.13 cm/s) and area (7.44 ± 4.62 cm2). Therefore, osteoporotic patients with obesity demonstrated significantly less postural stability. The sway path, velocity, and area parameters (Table 1) indicated increased values, which these parameters are critical aspects for determining the capability of balancing themselves. This indicates that obese osteoporotic patients have a much greater fall risk and this will double the risk of fracturing probability and, in the worst case lead to mortality. Therefore, immediate innovation for osteoporotic obese individuals is needed to alleviate the fall risk.

Acknowledgements (Optional):