AUTHOR=Saito Yoshinobu , Nakamura Sho , Tanaka Ayumi , Watanabe Ryo , Narimatsu Hiroto , Chung Ung-il 

TITLE=Evaluation of the validity and reliability of the 10-meter walk test using a smartphone application among Japanese older adults

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2022.904924

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2022.904924

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>Maintaining or improving regular walking speed can help extend healthy life expectancy and prevent frailty. The evaluation of walking speed can help individuals meet their daily exercise goals; therefore, it may be beneficial as a public health policy for residents to measure and evaluate their walking speed easily. This study aimed to verify the validity and reliability of a smartphone application for the 10-m walk test, measured in the general population.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>The study participants were men (<italic>n</italic> = 20) and women (<italic>n</italic> = 20) aged 65–85 years. The 10-m walk tests were performed at the usual walking speed, using the stopwatch function of a newly developed smartphone application. A total of three 10-m walk tests were performed simultaneously with the study participants and professional fitness instructors to evaluate the criterion-related validity and the test-retest reliability.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>A strong positive correlation was found in the criterion-related validity by the study participants and professional staff for the average of the three trials {<italic>r</italic> = 0.961 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.927, 0.979]}. The results revealed good reliability, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.712 (95% CI = 0.571, 0.823).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The smartphone application walking speed measurement method can be widely used by the general public and is useful for health promotion.</p></sec>