POSTURE
POSTURE – Predicting pre-frailty and Onset of frailty through postural Stability Testing and Unsteadiness Risk Evaluation
Effectiveness and feasibility of a Parkinson specific, guideline-based physiotherapy
Funded by: German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
Period: 2025-2028
Background:
Despite rising life expectancy, healthy life expectancy is expected to decrease in most high-income countries, a significant concern for public health and health systems. Ageing involves losses of functional ability, but individuals of the same age can vary widely in their health status trajectories, including their risk of chronic disease and frailty. The early detection of health states that may be indicative of the onset of frailty is therefore important to coordinate interventions to delay frailty, prevent disability and increase healthy life expectancy.
The prodromal signs of frailty, pre-frailty, may be detectable much earlier in life; yet, there is no reliable single measure or definition of pre-frailty. Whilst various physical, lifestyle-related, sociodemographic and environmental factors have been identified as risk factors for frailty progression, the single contributions of these variables remain unknown.
We argue that balance and postural stability may be suitable candidates to indicate pre-frailty, and potentially predict pre-frailty. Balance and postural stability are important for daily functioning, and, independently of age, predict risk of chronic diseases, disability and death.
Project Aims
The aim of the study is to assess the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between balance and frailty status. This will be assessed using a two-stage individual participant data meta-analysis of large cohort studies that assess balance and allow for the construction of a frailty index, which combines a large number of health deficits into a single index between zero and one.
The specific aims of this project are:
- To examine different definitions of balance and postural stability, including vestibular impairment, across multiple cohort studies.
- To analyse the cross-sectional association of balance and postural stability and existing pre-frailty.
- To analyse the longitudinal association of balance and postural stability and incident (pre-)frailty.
- To investigate the temporal sequence of balance and postural stability problems, namely their association with physical activity, health-related lifestyle and environmental factors, sleep, and metabolic health to inform potential causal pathways.
- To investigate potential sources of heterogeneity between datasets
Contact: Nathan Dixon