Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40279315›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

The reliability and validity of a non-wearable indoor positioning system to assess mobility in older adults: A cross-sectional study.

Isabel B Rodrigues, Patricia Hewston, Jonathan Adachi, Sayem Borhan, George Ioannidis, Alexa Kouroukis, Carolyn Leckie, Andrea Lee, Alexander Rabinovich, Parthipan Siva and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

14 authors.

Isabel B RodriguesDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3158-813X
Patricia HewstonDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Jonathan AdachiDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Sayem BorhanDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
George IoannidisDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Alexa KouroukisDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Carolyn LeckieDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Andrea LeeHamilton Health Sciences, Research Development and Innovation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Alexander RabinovichDepartment of Surgery - Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0009-0008-4890-4603
Parthipan SivaChirp Inc., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Rachel SwanceFaculty of Science, School of Interdisciplinary Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Suleman TariqDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Lehana ThabaneDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Alexandra PapaioannouDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDetecting early changes in walking speed can allow older adults to seek preventative rehabilitation. Currently, there is a lack of consensus on which assessments to use to assess walking speed and how to continuously monitor walking speed outside of the clinic. Chirp is a privacy-preserving radar sensor developed to continuously monitor older adults' safety and mobility without the need for cameras or wearable devices. Our study purpose was to evaluate the inter-sensor reliability, intrasession test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity of Chirp in a clinical setting.

methodsWe recruited 35 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 75.5 (standard deviation: 6.6) years, 86% female). All participants lived alone in an urban city in southwestern Ontario and had access to a smart device with wireless internet. Data were collected with a 4-meter ProtoKinetics ZenoTM Walkway (pressure sensors) with the Chirp sensor (radar positioning) at the end of the walkway. We assessed participants walking speed during normal and adaptive locomotion experimental conditions (walking-while-talking, obstacle, narrow walking, fast walking). We selected walking speed as a measure as it is a good predictor of functional mobility but also is associated with physical and cognitive functioning in older adults. Each of the experimental conditions was conducted twice in a randomized order, with fast walking trials performed last. For intra-session reliability testing, we conducted two blocks of walks within a participant session separated by approximately 30 minutes. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient(A,1) (ICC(A,1)) was used to assess the reliability and validity. Linear regression, adjusted for gender, was used to investigate the association between Chirp and cognition and health-related quality of life scores.

resultsChirp walking speed inter-sensor reliability ICC(A,1) = 0.999[95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.997 to 0.999] and intrasession test-retest reliability [ICC(A,1) = 0.921, 95% CI: 0.725 to 0.969] were excellent across all experimental conditions. Chirp walking speed concurrent validity compared to the ProtoKinetics ZenoTM Walkway was excellent across experimental conditions [ICC(A,1) = 0.993, 95% CI: 0.985 to 0.997]. We found a weak association between walking speed and cognition scores using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment across experimental conditions (estimated β-value = 7.79, 95% CI: 2.79 to 12.80) and no association between walking speed and health-related quality of life using the 12-item Short Form Survey across experimental conditions (estimated β-value = 6.12, 95% CI: -7.12 to 19.36).

conclusionOur results demonstrate that Chirp is a reliable and valid measure to assess walking speed parameters in clinics among older adults.

Indexed as

WalkingWalking SpeedAgedAged, 80 and overCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansIndependent LivingMaleOntarioReproducibility of ResultsWearable Electronic Devices

Identifiers

PMID40279315
PMCPMC12027111

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.