2026 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 95-102
Objective: In this study, we aimed to clarify the relationship between the Gait Assessment Scale (GAS) and falls among community-dwelling stroke survivors.
Methods: In this study, we involved a total of 106 stroke survivors who had been discharged from a convalescent rehabilitation ward, assessed them at discharge using the GAS, (developed by Nagawa, representing an observational gait assessment tool that evaluates the degree of gait abnormality in individuals with stroke), and monitored the occurrence of falls for six months post-discharge. We examined the association between the GAS results and the occurrence of falls using logistic regression analysis, and evaluated the predictive accuracy of the GAS for falls using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis compared with the results of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). We expressed predictive accuracy as the Area Under the Curve (AUC).
Results: During the follow-up period, 36 participants experienced falls. Logistic regression analysis, with the GAS as an independent variable, the presence or absence of falls as the dependent variable, and age and Body Mass Index as covariates, revealed that the GAS results were significantly associated with falls. ROC analysis demonstrated that the AUC of the GAS was 0.755, comparable to that of the BBS (AUC=0.771).
Conclusion: Our results suggest that the GAS results are associated with falls and GAS could be a useful tool for predicting the risk of falling in stroke survivors.
