Evaluating Stairway Designs for Individuals With Vision Impairment

The University of Alabama in Huntsville

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Mobility Limitation; Vision, Low

Treatments: Other: Frequency of contrast marking on stair steps

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07337317

0011

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this study is to learn if contrast frequency on step tread-edges influences foot clearance measures, a marker of fall risk, in older adults with and without visual impairments.

The main questions that aim to be answered are how foot clearance measures change across different frequencies of stair contrast, and how experiences and perceptions of different stair contrast frequencies are evaluated.

Researchers will compare individuals with and without visual impairments to see if contrast frequency on step tread-edges changes.

Participants will attend one visit during which their vision will be measured, and they will be asked to ascend and descend laboratory stairs at different contrast frequencies.

An optional second visit will entail a focus group meeting to better understand how contrast affects mobility in their home and everyday life.

Enrollment: 65 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. ≥ Contrast sensitivity log 1.6 or greater

2. travels independently in the community, including stairways > two times/week

3. comfortable ascending and descending a stairway with rest time provided

   Exclusion Criteria:

4. severe rheumatologic and or orthopedic diseases (e.g., awaiting joint replacement, active inflammatory disease)

5. lower-limb injuries and/or recent joint replacements (e.g., hip fracture, hip, or knee replacement within six months of study enrollment)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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65 participants in 1 patient group

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

All participants will participate in the experimental arm, that involves a factorial model approach inwhich all participants will experience all eight conditions.

Treatment:

Other: Frequency of contrast marking on stair steps