Effects of Changes in Illumination Level and Slope on Fall-Related Biomechanical Risk Factors While Walking for Elderly Women

Abstract

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate biomechanical changes of the lower limb including dynamic stability with changes in illumination (300Lx, 150Lx, and 5Lx) and slope (level and downhill) as risk factors for elderly falls. Method : Fifteen elderly females were selected for this study. Seven infrared cameras (Proreflex MCU 240: Qualisys, Sweden) and an instrumented treadmill (Bertec, USA) surrounded by illumination regulators and lights to change the levels of illumination were used to collect the data. A One-Way ANOVA with repeated measures using SPSS 12.0 was used to analyze statistical differences by the changes in illumination and slope. Statistical significance was set at ${\alpha}