ASSESS

Details

Funder: Funding has been received from the Swedish Research Council, the Alzheimer's Foundation, the Promobilia Foundation, UU Innovation, Handelsbanken's innovation scholarship, the Dementia Foundation and Konung Gustaf V:s, and Drottning Victorias Frimurarestiftelse.

About ASSESS

ASSESS (Assessment in healthcare) is an interdisciplinary research programme focused on methods for assessment and evaluation in healthcare, as support for:

- Improvement of healthcare processes

- Identification of health conditions and health risks

- Planning and adaptation of health interventions

The research conducted at Uppsala University and in collaboration with Dalarna University under the leadership of Professor Anna Cristina Åberg, has resulted in
three assessment methods (i-iii):

(i) S-NoMAD
(The Swedish version of the British Normalization Process Theory Measure)

(ii) UDDGait-dt
(Uppsala-Dalarna Dementia and Gait dual-task test)

(iii) GMF
(General Motor Function assessment scale)

S-NoMAD assess the implementation of complex health and social care interventions from the perspective of the professionals involved. The results can be used to support the development, revision and implementation of new care interventions and working methods.

GMF and UDDGait-dt are performance-based assessment methods that aim to provide information regarding physical and cognitive capacity and risk of functional decline in older people.

Next steps:

(i) Mapping of existing assessment methods for evaluating Motor Cognitive Risk syndrome with the aim of predicting negative health outcomes in older people

(ii) Investigating possibilities of long-term prediction of cognitive decline and falls based on longitudinal UDDGait-dt parameters supplemented with registry data

Assessment methods

To obtain more information about the studies and to request the Swedish assessment instruments, please contact Anna Cristina Åberg, anna.cristina.aberg@uu.se.

Project members

Project leader: Senior researcher, Professor Anna Cristina Åberg

Members: Associate Professor Vilmantas Giedraitis, Professor Lars Berglund, Professor Erik Rosendahl (Umeå University), Senior Lecturer Niklas Löfgren.

Publications

Below is a list of publications related to the project.

Lofgren N, Berglund L, Giedraitis V, Rosendahl E, Aberg AC. Can turn duration and step parameters during the Timed Up and Go test with and without a dual-task discriminate between individuals with different cognitive abilities? An explorative study. Assessment. 2026:10731911251410337.
Lofgren N, Giedraitis V, Halvorsen K, Rosendahl E, Aberg AC. The Timed Up and Go dual-task test's cognitive and motor outcomes show promising test-retest reliability in older adults with perceived memory impairment. Front Aging. 2025;6:1715756.
Åberg AC, Wallin L, Tistad M, Weineland S, Lovgren M, Jess K, et al. A multicentre validation study of the Swedish version of the Normalization Process Theory Measure S-NoMAD. Implement Sci Commun. 2025;7(1):11.
Lofgren N, Berglund L, Giedraitis V, Halvorsen K, Rosendahl E, McKee KJ, et al. Extracted step parameters during the timed up and go test discriminate between groups with different levels of cognitive ability-a cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatr. 2025;25(1):182.
Halvorsen K, Peng W, Olsson F, Aberg AC. Two-step deep-learning identification of heel keypoints from video-recorded gait. Med Biol Eng Comput. 2025;63(1):229–37.
Åberg AC, Petersson JR, Giedraitis V, McKee KJ, Rosendahl E, Halvorsen K, et al. Prediction of conversion to dementia disorders based on Timed Up and Go dual-task test verbal and motor outcomes: a five-year prospective memory-clinic-based study. BMC Geriatr. 2023;23(1):535.
Åberg AC, Larsson LE, Giedraitis V, Berglund L, Halvorsen K. Dual-task interference of gait parameters during different conditions of the Timed Up-and-Go test performed by community-dwelling older adults. J Aging Phys Act. 2023;31(5):823–32.
Åberg AC, Olsson F, Åhman HB, Tarassova O, Arndt A, Giedraitis V, et al. Extraction of gait parameters from marker-free video recordings of timed up-and-go tests: validity, inter- and intra-rater reliability. Gait Posture. 2021;90:489–95.
Åhman HB, Berglund L, Cedervall Y, Giedraitis V, McKee KJ, Rosendahl E, et al. Timed "Up & Go" dual-task tests: age- and sex-specific reference values and test-retest reliability in cognitively healthy controls. Phys Ther. 2021;101(10).
Åhman HB, Berglund L, Cedervall Y, Kilander L, Giedraitis V, K JM, et al. Dual-task tests predict conversion to dementia-a prospective memory-clinic-based cohort study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(21).
Åhman HB, Cedervall Y, Kilander L, Giedraitis V, Berglund L, McKee KJ, et al. Dual-task tests discriminate between dementia, mild cognitive impairment, subjective cognitive impairment, and healthy controls - a cross-sectional cohort study. BMC Geriatr. 2020;20(1):258.
Cedervall Y, Stenberg AM, Åhman HB, Giedraitis V, Tinmark F, Berglund L, et al. Timed Up-and-Go dual-task testing in the assessment of cognitive function: a mixed methods observational study for development of the UDDGait protocol. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(5)
Åhman HB, Giedraitis V, Cedervall Y, Lennhed B, Berglund L, McKee K, et al. Dual-task performance and neurodegeneration: correlations between Timed Up-and-Go dual-task test outcomes and Alzheimer's disease cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. J Alzheimers Dis. 2019;71(s1):S75–S83.
Elf M, Nordmark S, Lyhagen J, Lindberg I, Finch T, Aberg AC. The Swedish version of the Normalization Process Theory measure S-NoMAD: translation, adaptation, and pilot testing. Implement Sci. 2018;13(1):146.
Åberg AC. Bedömning, test och instrument. In Rydwik E, editor. Äldres hälsa: ett sjukgymnastiskt perspektiv. Lund: Studentlitteratur, 2012.
Åberg AC. Generell Motorisk Funktionsbedömning - manual (General Motor Function assessment scale - manual). Stockholm: Pearson Assessment and Information AB; 2011.
Åberg AC, Lindmark B, Lithell H. Evaluation and application of the General Motor Function assessment scale in geriatric rehabilitation. Disabil Rehabil. 2003;25(7):360–68.
Åberg AC, Lindmark B, Lithell H. Development and reliability of the General Motor Function Assessment scale (GMF) - a performance-based measure of function-related dependence, pain and insecurity. Disabil Rehabil. 2003;25(9):463–72.