Gait speed and self-efficacy in falls in individuals with normal pressure hydrocephalus

Background: Normal pressure hydrocephalus (PNH) is manifested by the triad apraxia of gait, dementia and urinary incontinence. The fear of falling and the loss of a sense of self-efficacy in body balance and mobility results in the restriction of social participation. Objective: to verify the relationship between gait speed and self-efficacy for falls in individuals with PNH. Methodology: This is an observational and cross-sectional study, carried out at the Clinical School of Physiotherapy at UNIFRAN, with CEP approval (CAAE 83164918.2.0000.5495). The convenience sample consisted of 3 individuals with PNH, with DVP, age 72.5 (± 3.6), who presented independent gait without using a walking aid device and MMSE 23.6 (± 1.2) and a history of more than 2 falls in the past year. They were assessed for the sense of self-efficacy for falls using the Falls Efficacy Scale - International (FES-I) questionnaire. The speed of normal and fast gait was calculated by the time taken to cover 10 meters. To verify the relationship between FES-I and gait speed, association and correlation tests were applied. Descriptive analysis was performed and the paired t test and the Pearson correlation test were used. Results: The FEI-S average was 31.3 ± 4.8 points. The average normal walking speed was 0.62 ± 0.24m / s and the average fast speed was 0.77 ± 0.32m / s. The participants were not able to significantly modify the gait speed (p = 0.073). There was a positive correlation between FES-I and gait speed (r = 0.68; p = 0.027). Conclusion: The low self-efficacy for falls interferes with the ability to change the gait pattern through speed. Understanding the fear of falling and walking speed can help in the mapping of cases that deserve, in addition to conventional rehabilitation, a behavioral intervention to increase the sense of self-efficacy, and thereby improve walking independence.