Chair-rising and 3-min walk: A simple screening test for functional mobility

Abstract

Aging induces decrease of locomotor capacity and its decrease is associated with an increased risk of falls. Several lines of evidence indicate that both change in muscle power and aerobic fitness are causative. Mobility tests are usually based on a maximal exercise stress test; however, this test is often difficult and sometimes frightening to older persons. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine age and gender differences in 3-min walk distance test (3WDT), and time of chair-rising test (CRT) of functional mobility. 153 men and 159 women aged from 20 to 78 years were recruited as subjects of the present study. The body composition measured the height, body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), lean tissue mass (LTM), and waist circumference (WC). The Functional mobility tests measured the peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), 3WDT, leg extension strength (LES), and times of CRT. Both in men and women, height and BMI, WC decreased and increased, respectively, with age. Height, BM, LTM, WC in men are higher than in women. We found no correlation between ages and 3WDT in women and a significant, negative correlation in men. All parameters of fitness performance were negatively correlated with age. Both in men and women, all parameters of fitness performance were positively correlated with sex. Both in men and women, VO2peak, 3WDT, and LES decreased with age. All parameters of fitness performance in men are higher than in women. Both in men and women were observed for the correlation between 3WDT and VO2peak, LES and CRT respectively. Although as the correlation coefficient between 3WTD and VO2peak, LES and CRT were low (r = 0.28 - 0.38), an error may occur, this study shows that 3WDT and CRT test can be a feasible method of providing the information for muscle power and aerobic fitness, possibly avoiding the need for a maximal stress test.

Share and Cite:

Oh, T. , Tabata, I. , Kim, J. , Lee, T. and Naka, T. (2012) Chair-rising and 3-min walk: A simple screening test for functional mobility. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2, 93-97. doi: 10.4236/ojpm.2012.21013.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Guralnik, J.M., Ferrucci, L., Pieper, C.F., Leveille, S.G., Markides, K.S., Ostir, G.V., Studenski, S., Berkman, L.F. and Wallace, R.B. (2000) Lower extremity function and subsequent disability: Consistency across studies, predictive models, and value of gait speed alone compared with the short physical performance battery. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 55, M221-M231. doi:10.1093/gerona/55.4.M221
[2] Guralnik, J.M., Ferrucci, L., Simonsick, E.M., Salive, M.E. and Wallace, R.B. (1995) Lower-extremity function in persons over the age of 70 years as a predictor of subsequent disability. The New England Journal of Medicine, 332, 556-561. doi:10.1056/NEJM199503023320902
[3] Guralnik, J.M., Simonsick, E.M., Ferrucci, L., Glynn, R.J., Berkman, L.F., Blazer, D.G., Scherr, P.A. and Wallace, R.B. (1994) A short physical performance battery assessing lower extremity function: Association with self-reported disability and prediction of mortality and nursing home admission. The Journals of Gerontology, 49, M85-M94.
[4] Aoyagi, Y. and Shephard, R.J. (1992) Aging and muscle function. Sports Medicine, 14, 376-396. doi:10.2165/00007256-199214060-00005
[5] Harriss, D.J. and Atkinson, G. (2009) Ethical standards in sport and exercise science research. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 30, 701-702. doi:10.1055/s-0029-1237378
[6] Janssen, I., Katzmarzyk, P.T. and Ross, R. (2005) Body mass index is inversely related to mortality in older people after adjustment for waist circumference. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53, 2112-2118. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.00505.x
[7] Lord, S. and Ward, J. (1994) Age-associated differences in sensori-motor function and balance in community dwelling women. Age and Ageing, 23, 452-460. doi:10.1093/ageing/23.6.452
[8] Himann, J.E., Cunningham, D.A., Rechnitzer, P.A. and Paterson, D.H. (1988) Age-related changes in speed of walking. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 20, 161-166. doi:10.1249/00005768-198820020-00010
[9] Bohannon, R.W. (1997) Comfortable and maximum walking speed of adults aged 20 - 79 years: Reference values and determinants. Age and Ageing, 26, 15-19. doi:10.1093/ageing/26.1.15
[10] Kerrigan, D.C., Todd, M.K., Della, C.U., Lipsitz, L.A. and Collins, J.J. (1998) Biomechanical gait alterations independent of speed in the healthy elderly: Evidence for Specific Limiting Impairments. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 79, 317-322. doi:10.1016/S0003-9993(98)90013-2
[11] Tiedemann, A., Sherrington, C. and Lord, S.R. (2005) Physiological and psychological predictors of walking speed in older community-dwelling people. Gerontology, 51, 390-395. doi:10.1159/000088703
[12] Tiedemann, A.C., Sherrington, C. and Lord, S.R. (2007) Physical and psychological factors associated with stair negotiation performance in older people. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 62, 1259-1265. doi:10.1093/gerona/62.11.1259
[13] Myers, A.M., Powell, L.E., Maki, B.E., Holliday, P.J., Brawley, L.R. and Sherk, W. (1996) Psychological indicators of balance confidence: Relationship to actual and perceived abilities. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 51, M37-M43. doi:10.1093/gerona/51A.1.M37
[14] Puthoff, M.L. and Nielsen, D.H. (2007) Relationships among impairments in lower-extremity strength and power, functional limitations, and disability in older adults. Physical Therapy, 87, 1334-1347. doi:10.2522/ptj.20060176
[15] Tiedemann, A., Shimada, H., Sherrington, C., Murray, S.M. and Lord, S.R. (2008) The comparative ability of eight functional mobility tests for predicting falls in community-dwelling older people. Age and Ageing, 37, 430-435. doi:10.1093/ageing/afn100
[16] Cunningham, D.A., Rechnitzer, P.A., Pearce, M.E. and Donner, A.P. (1982) Determinants of self-selected walking pace across ages 19 to 66. The Journals of Gerontology, 37, 560-564.
[17] Lord, S.R., Tiedemann, A., Chapman, K., Munro, B., Murray, S.M. and Sherrington, C. (2005) The effect of an individualized fall prevention program on fall risk and falls in older people: A randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53, 1296-1304. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53425.x
[18] Samson, M., Meeuwsen, I., Crowe, A., Dessens, J., Duursma, S. and Verhaar, H. (2000) Relationships between physical performance measures, age, height and body weight in healthy adults. Age and Ageing, 29, 235-242. doi:10.1093/ageing/29.3.235

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.