How Much Change in the 5-repetition Sit-to-stand test is Considered Real in Community Dwelling Elderly and Healthy Young Adults

Objectives Relative and absolute reliability are important aspects of tests that many clinical decisions are based upon. In many cases, the only basis for the decision is relative reliability while the absolute reliability is also very important. We aimed to measure and calculate the relative and absolute reliability of the 5-repetition Sit-to-stand test. Methods and Materials 11 community-dwelling over 65 year-old adults (69.64 +/- 3.585) and 20 healthy 20-35 year-old young adults (28.80 +/- 4.15) were evaluated twice with an interval of 2 to 5 days when using the 5-repetition Sit-to-stand test. Results The minimal detectable changes were 29.5 and 3.02 seconds in the seniors and young adults, respectively. The coefficients of variation were 27% and 19% in the seniors and young adults, respectively. Conclusion The results of this study showed that upon assessing progress during treatment sessions or judgment about progression or regression, elderly people must exhibit more change than younger adults to consider changes to be real and not accidental.