JFSF Vol 5, No 4, December 2020, p.109-113
doi: 10.22540/JFSF-05-109
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Short Communication
What is most appropriate number of repetitions of the sit-to-stand test in older adults: a reliability study
Maria Tsekoura1, Konstantinos Anastasopoulos1, Alexandros Kastrinis2, Zacharias Dimitriadis3
- Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Patras, Greece
- Department of Physiotherapy, Scoliosis Spine Laser Center, Athens, Greece
- Health and Quality of Life Assessment Research Lab, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Greece
Keywords: Older adults, Reliability, Sit to stand test
Abstract
The most frequently employed versions of the sit-to-stand test (STST) are the 5 times STSΤ and the 30 seconds STST. However, it is not known whether a variation with different number of repetitions or time could be more appropriate for older adults. The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability of STST at different time points and number of repetitions. The test was performed in 33 older adults (73±6.1 years) for 40 seconds. The participants performed the procedure twice with a day interval between the sessions. The test was video-taped and the data were processed by two examiners. The highest test-retest reliability was found for the 4th (ICC=0.73, SEM=1.48, SDD=1.68), 5th (ICC=0.76, SEM=1.73, SDD=1.97) and 6th repetition (ICC=0.78, SEM=1.78, SDD=2.03). The inter-rater reliability was excellent independently of the number of trials (ICC>0.9). The correlation of the time at the 4th and 6th repetition with the time at the traditionally selected 5th repetition was excellent (r>0.9). The termination of the STST at the 4th repetition seems to provide equally reliable and valid estimations with the termination at the 5th repetition. Future studies should examine a 4 times STST since the reduction of the number of repetitions may be less tiring and safer for older adults.
