title: Reliability of the senior fitness test in community-dwelling older people with cognitive impairment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In older people with cognitive impairment, we require reliable and valid measures to assess physical fitness and to measure change, for example, as a result of an exercise intervention. The purpose of our study was to determine the relative and absolute test-retest reliability of the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) in older people with cognitive impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A test-retest reliability study was conducted for the Senior Fitness Test in older people with cognitive impairment. Participants were tested at two time points with a time interval of 24 hours to 1 week between tests. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient model 3.1 (ICC, 3.1) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was used as a measure of relative reliability. The standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change (MDC) were used to measure absolute reliability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ICC reflected very high reliability (0.93-0.98) in all SFT items, indicating that there was no systematic error in the measurements. MDC values at the 90% CIs were calculated: chair stand test = 2.0 repetitions, armcurl test = 2.3 repetitions, chair sit and reach test = 6.0 cm, back scratch test = 4.6 cm, 2.45-m up-and-go test = 1.4 seconds and 6-minute walk test = 37.1 metres.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SFT battery showed high to very high test-retest reliability and thus may be suitable for detecting changes in physical fitness and evaluating physical fitness in older people with cognitive impairment, both in research and for clinical purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway; Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hesseberg
authors.forename: Hege
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bentzen
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergland
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: dementia; mild cognitive impairment; physical fitness; reproducibility of results