Physical performance tests are important to assess the effect of physical activity interventions in older people with dementia, but their psychometric properties have not been systematically established within this specific population.
To determine the relative and absolute test-retest reliability of the 6-meter walk test, the figure-of-eight (FoE), the Timed-up-and-Go (TUG), the FICSIT-4, the Chair-Rise test (CRT), and the Jamar dynamometer. These tests are used to assess gait speed, dynamic balance, functional mobility, static balance, lower-limb strength, and grip strength, respectively.
A prospective, nonexperimental study.
Older people with dementia (n=58; age range 70–92 years) performed each test at baseline and again after one week. Intraclass correlation (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), minimal detectable change (MDC) and (log transferred) limits of agreement of Bland-Altman plots were calculated.
The relative reliabilities of the FoE, TUG, and Jamar dynamometer were excellent (ICC .90–.95) and good for the 6-meter walk test, FICSIT-4, and CRT (ICC .79–.86). SEMs and MDCs were large for all tests. The absolute reliability of the TUG and CRT was significantly influenced by the level of cognitive functioning (as assessed with the MMSE).
The specific etiology of dementia was not obtained.
The results show that when used in older people with mild to moderate dementia the physical performance tests evaluated are useful to detect differences in performance between individuals and therefore suitable for cross-sectional or controlled intervention studies. They appear less suitable to monitor clinically relevant intra-individual performance changes. Future studies should focus on the development of more sensitive tests and the identification of criteria for clinically relevant changes in this rapidly growing population.
Source: http://ptjournal.apta.org/cgi/content/short/ptj.20110164v1?rss=1
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