Functional fitness in elderly Norwegians measured with the Senior Fitness Test

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the Senior Fitness Test in healthy older people in Norway. A secondary aim is to evaluate the use of European measures in the sub-tests compared with the American standards. Design: An explorative, descriptive study of a convenient sample of independent, healthy older people. People more than 60 years old were recruited through elderly centres and social contact groups in an urban area. Result: A total of 172 older people, 48 males and 124 females, were tested. There were significant differences between age groups with declining function with increasing age in leg strength, endurance and mobility. A cut-off point in performance, with start of declining function, was established around 70 years of age. Significant differences in arm curl and in 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) in favour of men were noted. Men were also stronger than women in the chair stand test; women, however, were more flexible. Conclusion: The Senior Fitness Test is a practical test for clinical use. The use of slightly heavier weights resulted in slightly fewer repetitions in strength tests, but the results revealed that the tests showed similar changes with increasing age and between the age groups, with no adverse events, indicating that these new scores for the arm curl test can be normative for a Norwegian sample of elderly people.