| Keywords |
Aging ; Sit-to-stand test ; Validity ; Elderly ; Lower body strength |
| Abstract |
A major factor governing independence for the elderly and persons with disabilities is the ability to stand from a chair. The purpose of this study was to compare the validity of a 30 second chair sit-to-stand (CSS-30) and 5 times chair sit-to-stand (5-CSS) tests to evaluate the lower extremity muscle strength, and to develop normative CSS-30 standards for the Korean older adults (1947 men and 3046 women, aged 65-97 years), and to analyze age and gender patterns of decline for the CSS-30. The moderate high correlation between chair stand performance and maximum voluntary isometric contraction force of knee extension for both CSS-30 and 5-CSS (r=.455 and .414, respectively) supported the criterion-related validity of the chair stand as a measure of lower body strength (all, p<.01). As expected, chair-stand performance decreased significantly across age groups in decades―from the 60s to the 70s to the 80s (p<.01), but no differences were observed between the gender groups. Active participants scored better in CSS-30 tests than their average and nonactive peers (p<.0001). This study showed that the CSS-30 tests provide a valid indicator of lower body strength of Korean elderly men and women in a field setting, and these newly established normative standards make it possible to assess individual lower body strength. |