Applicability of functional fitness tests in older persons with chronic disease.
- VernacularTitle:高齢者の生活自立度を反映する身体機能テストバッテリの疾患別にみた適用可能性
- Author:
RYOSUKE SHIGEMATSU
;
KIYOJI TANAKA
;
YOICHI NAKAMURA
;
TOMOAKI SAKAI
;
MASAKI NAKAGAICHI
;
HOSUNG NHO
;
HUNKYUNG KIM
;
MASAKI INOUE
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
functional fitness;
chronic disease;
applicability
- From:Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine
2001;50(3):347-360
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
-
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of physical performance tests (test battery) for assessing functional fitness required for activities of daily life in older persons with chronic disease. This test battery consisted of 4 items: arm curl, walking around two cones, moving beans with chopsticks, and functional reach. Seventy-one persons (aged 66.7±7.8 yr) with either hemiplegia, Parkinson's disease (PD), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) served as subjects. There were significant differences among standard test scores in each rate of progression of the disease in all hemiplegia groups (Stages III, IV, V), and COPD groups (Stages 1, 2, 3) (Kruskal-Wallis'H=22.3 and 7.3, respectively) . In PD groups, there was no significant difference between standard scores in Stages II and III (Mann-Whitney's U=4.0) . However, the rank order correlation coefficient between the ranking in standard test score and the ranking in physical independence assessed by a medical doctor and a public health nurse was significant (ρ=0.57, P<0.05) . All tests were safely applied for all subjects. These results suggest that our test battery may be applicable to a majority of older persons with various chronic diseases. Furthermore, the variability of standard test scores was greater than the clinical subjective ratings by Stage, which suggests that such a classification may provide a better description of disease progress/functional fitness.
