Psychology of Movement Commons^™

Difference Between Postural Sway, Functional Fitness, And Behavioral Measures In Older Adult Fallers & Non-Fallers, Olivia Maus, Rebecca Brandhorst, Andrea Geisenhof, Kyle Reason

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

BACKGROUND: Falls are among the leading causes of injury, hospitalization, and loss of independence among older adults. There is not enough research to determine how body composition, fitness, and postural sway affect balance.

METHODS: Participants completed surveys measuring behaviors around fall risk, assessment of body composition, postural sway, and functional fitness.

RESULTS: There was a significant difference between OF and ONF on the FES-I (p=0.05; d=-0.41) and the ABC-6 (p=0.008; d=0.57). There was significance on condition three of the mCTSIB (p=0.007; d=-.58), and composite score (p=0.04; d=-0.43).Significance between groups was approached on condition one of the mCTSIB (p=0.06; d=-0.39).

CONCLUSIONS: …

Can Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters Predict State Anxiety?, Stephanie M. Cotariu, Ashlyn M. Jendro, Yale B. Hughes, Abigail C. Schmitt

2025 Honors Symposium

Background: Anxiety is one of the most experienced mental health disorders. Recent research has suggested a relationship between gait parameters and anxiety, however the disparity in measurement methodologies of both anxiety and gait makes it difficult to draw broad conclusions. Better understanding the relationship between anxiety and gait mechanics creates opportunity for a more holistic understanding of the interaction between mental health, functional capacity, and quality of life. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate if spatiotemporal gait parameters measured on a pressure-sensing walkway are related to anxiety.

Advocating For Occupational Therapy Intervention With In-House Athletics, Jatia Littles, Cynthia Haynes

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Occupational therapists (OT) have the opportunity to work with athletes by outsourcing through orthopedic centers with professional leagues such as the National Football League (NFL) (Jobs in Sports, 2022) but rarely do you see OTs within the sports complex working in-house. Although many studies go into great detail on the benefits of occupational therapy during the rehabilitation process, there are only a limited number of studies that explore occupational therapy intervention in athletics (Andreas et al., 2021). This project designed and implemented an occupational therapy-focused advocacy project that involves informing interprofessional sports faculty on the benefits of OTs being a …

Mobility Apprehension In Amputees, Maggi R. Welch

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Responses In Proactive Vs. Reactive Balance Control, Christina A. Sadowski, Deborah Espy

Undergraduate Research Posters 2012

Even though recent research suggests reactive balance training (unexpected, external perturbations) has more effective, long term results than proactive training (self-initiated actions), the latter is used most often in a clinical setting due to its affordability and convenience. This pilot study sought to develop a safe, affordable, and easily portable perturbation-inducing device to be used for reactive balance training.