Objective: To evaluate the cross-cultural applicability of an instrumental assessment of motor function by comparing healthy adult German and Japanese cohorts.

Background: Device-based quantitative assessment of motor function has become increasingly available, allowing standardized and comparable function measurement across borders and cultural backgrounds. If such methods are applied to screen for pathology of motor function, normative data are crucial as a reference point, but little is known about influences of different cultural backgrounds or ethnicities on motor function.

Method: Thirty healthy adults (f:13, m:17, age: 23-45) from Chiba, Japan, performed 12 different motor tasks recorded with a marker-free 3D camera system for motion analysis (Motognosis Labs). An identical set of tasks was recorded using the same device and standard operator instructions in an age- and BMI-matched sample of 30 German healthy adults (f:18, m:12, age:18-42) from Berlin, Germany. Motor tasks included a short gait (in comfortable (SCSW) and maximum speed (SMSW)), tandem-gait (SWL), stepping in place (SIP), standing up and sitting down (SAS), stance with open and closed eyes (with and without cognitive dual task (POCO-D and POCO)), finger-nose test (FNT), finger tapping test (FTT) and pronator drift test (PDT). We compared motor outcomes in Japanese and German subjects by independent t-test and Cohen’s D indicating effect size (ES).

Results: There was no significant group difference for most performed motor tasks (POCO, POCO-D, SMSW, SCSW, SWL, FTT, FNV, PDT). Still, significant differences were found in time required to stand up (p<.001, ES: .99), sit down (p<.001, ES 1.40), and in cadence during SIP (p<.001 ES: -1.17), where in all tests the Japanese group featured faster performance. Japanese subjects also showed a smaller range of motion in hand usage during SAS (up: p<.001, ES 1.71 and down p<.001, ES 1.78).

Conclusion: With consistent technical set-up and assessment procedures, we found differences with ES >0.99 in the execution of the SAS and SIP task. Japanese subjects at group level featured much faster performance with less use of arms in SAS. Since environmental factors at assessment, age as well as BMI were controlled in this study, the observed difference may be explained as cultural bias. Presented results indicate importance of population-specific norms for cross-cultural application of instrumental motor assessment.

« Back to 2019 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/cultural-bias-in-performance-of-motor-tasks-comparison-between-japanese-and-german-healthy-adults/