Seminars in Hearing Research at Purdue (SHRP)

Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024
Time: 12pm - 1:00pm
Location:  NLSN 1215

Title: Does hearing impairment affect gait under realistic conditions?

Speaker: Alexander L. Francis, Professor, SLHS.

Abstract: Hearing loss is associated with increased risk of falling, but little is known about how hearing impairment might affect mobility. Here we report preliminary results from an ongoing experimental study investigating dynamic properties of gait while walking with and without impaired hearing. Young- and middle-aged adult participants with self-reported normal hearing completed four walking tasks, 2 indoors, 2 outdoors, each conducted with and without a simulated hearing loss. In the impaired condition, participants wore an insert earplug in one ear combined with binaural, circumaural noise-damping headphones. We quantified gait parameters using data from inertial measurement units (IMUs) affixed to participants’ ankles and waist, allowing participants to walk farther than in typical gait assessments. Parameters included standard gait metrics such as limb acceleration as well as a novel spatiotemporal index quantifying variability in step patterns. Analysis will focus on how temporal-spatial gait parameters and variability differ between indoor and outdoor walking with and without hearing impairment. This is work is part of a collaboration with Jeff Haddad and Satyajit Ambike in Health and Kinesiology, and Sarah Burgin and Troy Wesson at IUSM.

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