Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jun 1;5(2):24-30.
doi: 10.22540/JFSF-05-024. eCollection 2020 Jun.

Neither Timed Up and Go test nor Short Physical Performance Battery predict future falls among independent adults aged ≥75 years living in the community

Beatrice Pettersson  1 , Ellinor Nordin  1 , Anna Ramnemark  2 , Lillemor Lundin-Olsson  1
Affiliations

Neither Timed Up and Go test nor Short Physical Performance Battery predict future falls among independent adults aged ≥75 years living in the community

Beatrice Pettersson et al. J Frailty Sarcopenia Falls. .

Abstract

Objectives: Previous research has shown that balance and gait difficulties are predictors of falls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity of two tools reporting on balance and gait among older community-living adults independent in personal activities of daily living (p-ADL).

Methods: Prospective study design. Baseline assessment included the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Following baseline, falls were recorded monthly for one year by 202 participants (70.1% women) who were independent in p-ADL, and at least 75 years old (79.2±3.5). ROC-curves were made and AUC were calculated.

Results: Forty-seven percent of the participants reported falls. AUCs calculated for TUG were 0.5 (95%CI: 0.5-0.6) for those with at least one fall, and 0.5 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6) for recurrent fallers. Corresponding figures for SPPB were 0.5 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6) and 0.5 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6).

Conclusion: This study does not support a recommendation to use the Timed Up and Go test or the Short Physical Performance Battery as tools for the identification of fall-prone persons among older adults living in the community. These results reinforce the need for further research into appropriate tools for identifying independent but fall-prone older adults.

Keywords: Accidental falls; Aged; Functional ability; Geriatric assessment/methods; Postural balance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Boxplots representing the distribution of number of falls per person during one year according to test score in a. the Times Up and Go test and b. Short Physical Performance Battery.
Figure 2
Figure 2
ROC-curves illustrating the predictive validity of the Timed Up and Go test for a. one or more falls compared to no falls and b. two or more falls compared to no or a single fall.
Figure 3
Figure 3
ROC-curves illustrating the predictive properties of Short Physical Performance Battery for a. one or more falls compared to no falls and b. two or more falls compared to no or a single fall.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lord SR. Falls in older people :risk factors and strategies for prevention. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2007.
    1. Peel NM, Kassulke DJ, McClure RJ. Population based study of hospitalised fall related injuries in older people. Inj Prev. 2002;8(4):280–3. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Department of Ageing and Life Course (ALC) WHO Global Report on Falls Prevention in Older Age. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2007.
    1. Yardley L, Smith H. A prospective study of the relationship between feared consequences of falling and avoidance of activity in community-living older people. Gerontologist. 2002;42(1):17–23. - PubMed
    1. Ambrose AF, Paul G, Hausdorff JM. Risk factors for falls among older adults:a review of the literature. Maturitas. 2013;75(1):51–61. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources