A single trial of the five-repetition sit-to-stand test provides adequate measures in community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study

Purpose: To investigate whether the number of trials would affect the results of the Five-Repetition Sit-to-Stand Test (5STSt) and its measurement properties in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Three trials of the 5STSt, after familiarization, were performed by 50 older adults (69.9 ± 5.5 years). The one-way ANOVA was used to compare the number of trials of the 5STSt (the first trial, the best trial, the mean of two trials, and the mean of three trials). Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was calculated to investigate inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities, and SEM and MDC_95% were also calculated. The magnitude of the correlations was classified as very low≤0.25; low = 0.26-0.49; moderate = 0.50-0.69; high = 0.70-0.89; and very high = 0.90-1.00. (α = 0.05).

Results: The values provided by different numbers of trials were similar in session-1 (F = 1.315; p = 0.271), as well as in session-2 (F = 0.668; p = 0.574). Inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities were significant and classified as moderate to high for all number of trials (0.63<ICC<0.92; p < 0.001). The SEM (0.62 < SEM < 1.52) and the MDC_95% (1.72<MDC_95%<4.22) values, in seconds, for all ICC values, were calculated.

Conclusion: A single trial of the 5STSt can be used to evaluate community-dwelling older adults, which potentially decreases the evaluation time, fatigue, and the occurrence of pain.