The Effect of Dual-Task on Manual Dexterity and Functional Mobility in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Background/Purpose: To determine the effect of dual-task (DT) on manual dexterity (MD) and functional mobility (FM) in community-dwelling older adults (OA) and investigate the relationships between the dual-task effect (DTE) and the activities of daily living (ADL) and the quality of life (QoL). Methods: 33 healthy older adults (20 women, 13 men; median age=68) participated in this study. The assessments included; the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT), the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), the Barthel Index (BI), and the Short Form 36 (SF-36). Resul ts: There were si gni f i cant di ff erences between si ngl e and DT performances for all sub-scores and the total score of the PPT and the TUG. There were positive correlations between DTE on the total score and all sub-scores of the PPT except the assembly sub-score and the BI, the SF-36 Physical Component (PC), and the SF-36 Mental Component (MC). Also, there were negative correlations between DTE on the TUG and the BI, the SF-36 PC, and the SF-36 MC. Conclusion: We found that DT negatively affects MD and FM of OA. This effect increases with the complexity of the task. Also, there is a relationship between the DTE and the ADL or the QoL in OA.