Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: THAIANA BARBOSA FERREIRA PACHECO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : THAIANA BARBOSA FERREIRA PACHECO
DATE: 29/02/2020
TIME: 08:00
LOCAL: parecer
TITLE:

DEVELOPMENT AND USABILITY OF A VIRTUAL GAME FOR BALANCE REHABILITATION FOR OLDER ADULTS

KEY WORDS:

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Exergames , Serious Games, Physiotherapy, Balance, Aging

PAGES: 130
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional
SUMMARY:

Introduction: Aging results from a series of physiological changes that modify the organism's structure and function. In neuromotor system, the impaired postural balance in older adults may compromise the adaptation to daily living demands, leading to restrictions on their functional Independence. Since postural balance is impaired by aging, a variety of therapeutic approaches have prioritized postural balance restoration or maintenance, highlighting the Virtual Reality-based therapies (VR). VR is characterized as an experience in which the user can interact with the scenario of a virtual game through the involvement of sensory, cognitive, psychological and motor aspects. In this sense, serious games have been developed in order to adapt the virtual environment to the patient's therapeutic demands and needs, reflecting positively on the effectiveness and usability of this type of tool. Objective: 1) To develop a systematic review aiming to summarize the evidence of the use of serious and commercial virtual games on postural balance of the older adults; 2) Develop a serious game for balance training of older adults using a low cost motion capture system. 3) To test, in a pilot study, the applicability and the effect of the game on the balance and physical performance of older adults. Methodology: This study involved three types of methodological modalities: 1) Systematic Review; 2) Development and validation of a utility model (virtual reality game) for postural balance rehabilitation and 3) Pilot study with an experimental design with 46 older adults. The participants of the pilot study were subjected to a balance assessment by using a Force Plate and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and a physical performance assessment with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Participants’ were ramdomly allocated in experimental or control group. The experimental group performed an intervention protocol using the virtual game developed by the researchers of this study - called VirtualTer (Virtual Therapy), 3 times a week for two weeks and duration of 20 minutes each session. The control group received a booklet with 5 exercises based on the Otago protocol to be performed at home with the same duration and frequency as the experimental group. At the end of the intervention period, participants were reevaluated, using the same procedures as the initial assessment. Preliminary Results: 1) Systematic Review - 12 studies comparing exergames with no intervention were included. A total of 1520 older adults were included in the studies, with a mean age of 76±6 in the experimental groups and 76±5 in control groups. 03 studies found significant improvements in balance considering the BBS and center of pressure oscillation. 03 studies found improvements in mobility, considering the Timed up and Go test, 30-second sit-to-stand test and the alternate step test. 2) Game development and validation - VirtualTer was developed by a team of physiotherapists and computer scientists from  Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. The main objective of this serious game was to promote balance training for older adults in a motivating and representative environment. VirtualTer uses Kinect for motion capture in tasks involving stationary walk, lateral reaching, and go up and down steps, divided in 03 distinct phases. The content of the game was validated by 11 specialists (45.5% physiotherapists and 54.5% science and technology professionals). The total CVI of the game was 0.8 and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.924. 3) Pilot Study – 23 older adults participated in the pilot study with a mean age of 72±8.2; being 15 (65.2%) women and 08 (34.8%) men. It was observed that, after the intervention with VirtualTer, there was an improvement in the BBS score (pre: 50.1±6.1 ; post: 51.4±5.5; p = 0.006) and SPPB (pre : 9.9±2; post: 10.5±1.8; p = 0.01). Data from the force plate and the intergroup comparison are being processed.

BANKING MEMBERS:
Externa ao Programa - 1032531 - ALINE BRAGA GALVAO SILVEIRA FERNANDES
Presidente - 2374822 - FABRICIA AZEVEDO DA COSTA CAVALCANTI
Externo ao Programa - 1763991 - RUMMENIGGE RUDSON DANTAS