Premium
Reliability of the Senior Fitness Test in Community‐dwelling Older People with Cognitive Impairment
Author(s) -
Hesseberg Karin,
Bentzen Hege,
Bergland Astrid
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
physiotherapy research international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.509
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1471-2865
pISSN - 1358-2267
DOI - 10.1002/pri.1594
Subject(s) - intraclass correlation , test (biology) , reliability (semiconductor) , standard error , psychology , confidence interval , physical therapy , cognition , physical fitness , cognitive impairment , gerontology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , medicine , psychometrics , statistics , clinical psychology , mathematics , psychiatry , paleontology , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
Background and Purpose In older people with cognitive impairment, we require reliable and valid measures to assess physical fitness and to measure change, for example, as a result of an exercise intervention. The purpose of our study was to determine the relative and absolute test–retest reliability of the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) in older people with cognitive impairment. Methods A test–retest reliability study was conducted for the Senior Fitness Test in older people with cognitive impairment. Participants were tested at two time points with a time interval of 24 hours to 1 week between tests. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient model 3.1 (ICC, 3.1) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was used as a measure of relative reliability. The standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change (MDC) were used to measure absolute reliability. Results The ICC reflected very high reliability (0.93–0.98) in all SFT items, indicating that there was no systematic error in the measurements. MDC values at the 90% CIs were calculated: chair stand test = 2.0 repetitions, armcurl test = 2.3 repetitions, chair sit and reach test = 6.0 cm, back scratch test = 4.6 cm, 2.45‐m up‐and‐go test = 1.4 seconds and 6‐minute walk test = 37.1 metres. Discussion The SFT battery showed high to very high test–retest reliability and thus may be suitable for detecting changes in physical fitness and evaluating physical fitness in older people with cognitive impairment, both in research and for clinical purposes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.