Dual-Task Exercise Effects on Balance and Cognition by Physical Performance Level

Single-Leg Stance Test

First, the participant will be asked which foot they prefer to stand on or which foot makes them feel more stable. Then, they will be instructed to distribute their weight evenly on both feet and, while maintaining this position, lift one foot off the ground. The timer will start as soon as the participant lifts their foot. The timer will be stopped if any signs of balance disturbance occur, such as the lifted foot making contact with the ground, the standing foot jumping, or the participant needing to support themselves in order to maintain balance. The longer an individual is able to maintain a single-leg stance, the better their static balance is considered to be.

Y Balance Test

The Y-Balance Test (YBT) is a widely used, valid, and reliable tool for assessing dynamic balance. In this test, the participant stands on one leg and reaches in specific directions (anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral) with the opposite leg. In this study, only the anterior reach direction was assessed. Participants performed three practice trials for familiarization, followed by three recorded trials. During the test, the participant stood barefoot on a flat surface, maintaining balance on one leg. With the contralateral leg, they reached forward as far as possible and returned to the starting position without losing balance. The distance was measured from the tip of the big toe of the stance foot to the point where the toes of the reaching foot touched the ground. The longest distance achieved among the trials was used for statistical analysis. Greater reach distances were interpreted as better dynamic balance performance.

Stroop Test

The aim of the Stroop test is to evaluate the person's speed of processing information, especially simple and complex attention, inhibition ability, ability to be resistant to interference. The test to be used in our study includes 3 steps: In the first step, the person is asked to say the colours of the boxes in the form, in the second step to read the words in the form quickly, and in the last step to say the colours of the words. The time taken to complete each step is noted. The time difference between steps 2 and 3, the error made and the self-correction scores are recorded.

Health-Related Quality of Life assessed by the SF-36 Questionnaire

The SF-36 questionnaire is a quality of life questionnaire that includes 36 questions divided into 8 different categories (physical functioning, limitations due to physical condition, physical pain, perceived health, vitality, social functioning or well-being, limitations due to mental condition, mental health). These 8 dimensions are used to calculate two scores on the quality of life of individuals: the physical composite score and the mental composite score. The higher the score, the greater the capacity. It is self-administered and takes less than 10 minutes. Higher scores indicate better quality of life