Test-retest Reliability of Timed-Up and Go (TUG) Test by Internet of Things (IoT) Device in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Older people face higher risk of mortality or severe injury due to fall. Therefore, a simple screening device for fall risk assessment is essential. This study aimed to define the test-retest reliability of the Internet of Things (IoT) device when administering the timed-up and go (TUG) test in older adults. Thirty aging adults older than 60 years old (mean age is ${65.80\pm 4.72}$ years) in Chiang Rai province participated in this study. The participants were instructed to perform TUG test in three trials and were assessed in two trials with a 1-week resting period. The Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC3,1) were used to measure test-retest reliability, and significant levels were set at $\mathbf{p} < {0.05}$. The results showed excellent test-retest reliability of TUG test by IoT device was excellent (ICCs = ${0.88)}$. Moreover, the measurement consistency between the IoT device and the standard stopwatch was excellent (ICC $={0.91)}$. The IOT device is reliable for between-day administration of the TUG test in community-dwelling older adults. It is unknown how reliable these tests are in various demographics, including elderly individuals with balance problems and health concerns and patients with strokes or high risk of falls. Additional psychometric characteristics of the IoT device used in the TUG test, such as test-retest reliability and cut-off score for predicting falls in the elderly, must be clarified.