title: Assessing physical functioning in otolaryngology: feasibility of the Short Physical Performance Battery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Objective measures of physical functioning and mobility are considered to be the strongest indicators of overall health and mortality risk in older adults. These measures are not routinely used in otolaryngology research. We investigated the feasibility of using a validated physical performance battery to assess the functioning of older adults seen in a tertiary care otolaryngology clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Short Physical Performance Battery was performed on 22 individuals aged 50 years or older enrolled in the Studying Multiple Outcomes after Aural Rehabilitative Treatment (SMART) study at Johns Hopkins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We successfully administered the SPPB to 22 participants, and this testing resulted in minimal participant and provider burden with respect to time, training, and space requirements. The mean time to complete 5 chair stands was 13.0 ± 3.8 seconds. The mean times for the side-by-side, semi-tandem, and tandem stands were 10.0 ± 0.0, 9.5 ± 2.1, and 8.8 ± 3.2 seconds, respectively. Mean walking speed was 1.1 ± 0.3 meters per second, and composite SPPB scores ranged from 6 to 12 (mean = 10.45, S.D. = 1.6).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a standardized physical performance battery to assess physical functioning in a cohort of older adults seen in a tertiary otolaryngology clinic. We provide detailed instructions, references, and analytic methods for implementing the SPPB in future otolaryngology studies involving older adults.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: david.chen@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Caitlin R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Dane J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Genther
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA; University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Lingsheng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Frank R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016138:Walking