Accuracy of the step test to evaluate lower limb muscle strength in community-dwelling older women

Objective: to investigate the accuracy of the step test (ST) to evaluate total lower limb muscle strength (LLMS) in older women. Design: observational cross-sectional study. Methods: 119 community-dwelling older women were submitted to the ST and LLMS evaluation (iso-metric peak torque of eight muscle groups of the dominant lower limb). The capacity of the ST to discriminate older women with reduced LLMS was measured using ROC curve, followed by the posttest probability (PoTP) calculation. Results: a ST score of 0.24 cm per cm of participant's height presents a sensitivity of 63.3%, specificity of 77%; enhances the PoTP from 48% to 72% for positive test and decreases the PoTP from 48% to 31% for negative test. Conclusion: the ST may complement the clinical screening of reduced LLMS in older women, given that it is a simple and quick low-cost test and allows the evaluation of each lower limb separately. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.