Objectives. The aims of this study were to test the feasibility of using a virtual
functional environment for the examination of dual tasking and to determine the effects
of dual tasking on gait parameters in people with stroke and age-matched controls who
were healthy.
Design. This was a cross-sectional observational study.
Methods. Twelve community-dwelling older adults with stroke and 10 agematched
older adults who were healthy participated in the study. Participants walked
on a self-paced treadmill while viewing a virtual grocery aisle projected onto a screen
placed in front of them. They were asked to walk through the aisle (single task) or
to walk and select (“shop for”) items according to instructions delivered before or
during walking (dual tasking)