Assessment of Postural Control in People with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Using a Smartphone IMU Sensor
Author
Pölhösová, Sophia
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2025
Abstract
People with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) often have impaired postural control and a higher risk of falls, yet traditional balance assessments rely on costly equipment and clinical settings. This project evaluated whether a smartphone’s inertial measurement unit (IMU) can assess static balance in individuals with T2DM as a portable, low-cost alternative to a gold-standard force plate, and whether it can differentiate between healthy and T2DM participants across tasks of varying difficulty. Participants completed four standing conditions (bipedal and single-leg stances with eyes open or closed) while a smartphone was attached to the lower back and measurements were recorded simultaneously with a force plate. Sway metrics—root mean square (RMS) and mean velocity (MV)—were extracted from both devices, with a healthy control group as reference. The smartphone consistently detected increased postural sway in more challenging conditions and captured significantly higher RMS and MV values in T2DM participants compared to healthy controls. Strong correlations between smartphone and force plate were observed, particularly for RMS during the most difficult task. However, comparability was limited by the need for physical support in T2DM participants during single-leg tasks, the small sample size, and a younger control group. These findings support the feasibility of smartphone-based balance assessment, while highlighting the need for larger, age-matched samples, exploration of alternative sensor placements (e.g., trouser pocket), and longitudinal monitoring including patient willingness and adherence.
Personer med type 2-diabetes (T2DM) har ofte nedsat postural kontrol og øget risiko for fald, men traditionelle balancevurderinger kræver dyrt udstyr og kliniske rammer. Dette projekt undersøgte, om en smartphones inertimåleenhed (IMU) kan bruges til at vurdere statisk balance hos personer med T2DM som et bærbart, lavomkostningsalternativ til en kraftplade, og om den kan skelne mellem raske og T2DM-deltagere på tværs af opgaver med varierende sværhedsgrad. Deltagerne udførte fire stående betingelser (to-bens og ét-bens stand med åbne eller lukkede øjne) med en smartphone fastgjort ved lænden, mens de stod på en kraftplade. Fra begge enheder blev der udledt svajmål som root mean square (RMS) og middelhastighed (MV), og en rask kontrolgruppe fungerede som reference. Smartphonen registrerede konsekvent øget posturalt svaj i de mere krævende betingelser og fangede signifikant højere RMS- og MV-værdier hos T2DM-deltagere sammenlignet med raske. Der blev fundet stærke korrelationer mellem smartphone- og kraftplademålinger, især for RMS under den sværeste opgave. Sammenligneligheden mellem enhederne blev dog påvirket af begrænsninger som behov for fysisk støtte hos T2DM-deltagere ved ét-bens opgaver, et lille sample og en yngre kontrolgruppe. Resultaterne peger på, at smartphonebaseret balancevurdering er lovende, men kræver yderligere studier med større, aldersmatchede populationer, afprøvning af alternative sensorplaceringer (f.eks. bukselomme) samt longitudinel monitorering og vurdering af villighed og efterlevelse.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]