Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39151092›Full record

Observational studyJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2025

Wrist-worn voice recorders capture the circumstances and context of losses of balance among community-dwelling older adults.

Youngjae Lee, Neil B Alexander, Lisa Pompeii, Linda V Nyquist, Michael L Madigan

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Observational
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Youngjae LeeGrado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1352-9491
Neil B AlexanderDivision of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Lisa PompeiiCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Linda V NyquistInstitute of Gerontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Michael L MadiganGrado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

Funding

Research Education CoreP30AG024824 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI Neil Alexander · 2004 to 2026
$29.2M
Validation and application of wearable sensors for capturing kinematic responses to real-world losses of balance among balance-impaired older adultsR21AG075430 · NIA · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · PI ALEXANDER, NEIL, MADIGAN, MICHAEL L · 2022 to 2023
$432k
NIA NIH HHS P30 AG024824NIA NIH HHS R21 AG075430NIA NIH HHS R21AG075430
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMost falls among community-dwelling older adults are due to a loss of balance (LOB) after tripping or slipping. Unfortunately, limited insight is available on the detailed circumstances and context of these LOBs. Moreover, commonly used methods to collect this information is susceptible to limitations of memory recall. The goal of this pilot observational study was to explore the circumstances and context of self-reported LOBs captured by wrist-worn voice recorders among community-dwelling older adults.

methodsIn this pilot observational cohort study, 30 community-dwelling adults with a mean (SD) age of 71.8 (4.4) years were asked to wear a voice recorder on their wrist daily for 3 weeks. Following any naturally-occurring LOB, participants were asked to record their verbal responses to six questions regarding the circumstances and context of each LOB abbreviated with the mnemonic 4WHO: When, Where, What, Why, How, and Outcome.

resultsParticipants wore the voice recorder 10.9 (0.6) hours per day for 20.7 (0.5) days. One hundred seventy-five voice recordings were collected, with 122 meeting our definition of a LOB. Each participant reported 0-23 LOBs over the 3 weeks or 1.4 (2.1) per participant per week. Across all participants, LOBs were most commonly reported 3 p.m. or later (42%), inside the home (39%), while walking (33%), resulting from a trip (54%), and having induced a stepping response to regain balance (48%). No LOBs resulted in a fall.

conclusionsAmong community-dwelling older adults, wrist-worn voice recorders capture the circumstances and context of LOBs thereby facilitating the documentation of detail of LOBs and potentially falls, without reliance on later recall.

Indexed as

Accidental FallsIndependent LivingPostural BalanceWearable Electronic DevicesAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsSelf ReportWristaccidental fallsloss of balanceolder adultsvoice recorder

Identifiers

PMID39151092
PMCPMC11734096

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.