Test-retest reliability and agreement of remote home-based functional capacity self-administered assessments in community-dwelling, socially isolated older adults

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the test-retest reliability and agreement of home-based functional capacity self-administered assessments in socially isolated older adults.

Methods: Fourteen community-dwelling older adults (eight females, 67.9 ± 7.7 years) volunteered for this study. Before testing, participants were screened online for eligibility and received instructional videos explaining test set-up and execution. Participants underwent the 30-second sit-to-standing test, gait speed tests at the usual pace, and timed-up-and-go tests administered 4 weeks apart. For the 30-second sit-to-standing protocol, participants were instructed to repeatedly sit and stand from a chair (with a height of ∼ 43 cm and without armrests) for 30 s, with the number of repetitions recorded. In the gait speed test protocol, participants were instructed to walk at their usual and comfortable pace, with the time taken recorded (seconds). In the timed-up-and-go, participants stood up from a chair, walked as fast as possible for 3 m, circled a marked point, and returned to the chair to sit down, completing the test, with the score recorded (seconds). A trained researcher conducted the scoring virtually via synchronous video.

Results: 30-second sit-to-standing, gait speed test, and timed-up-and-go showed excellent mean coefficient of variation values (2.0-4.9), small standard error of measurement (0.08-1.27), excellent intraclass coefficient (0.97-0.99), very strong correlations (0.97-0.99) and good agreement between the two days of testing.

Conclusion: Self-administered functional capacity tests performed by older adults at home were reliable with good agreement. Healthcare professionals and older adults should take advantage of simple remote self-administered assessments performed at home to evaluate older adults' health status.

Keywords: Functional capacity; aging; home-based-testing; remote administration; self-assessment.

Figure 1.

Study flowchart.

Figure 2.

Bland-Altman plots of the 30-second sit-to-stand test (panel A) comparing 2 days of testing (difference assessment = difference day 2 – day 1, average = (day 1 – day 2)/2). Solid horizontal lines show the mean values, and dashed horizontal lines represent the 95% confidence limits. Correlation between the first and second days of the 30-second sit-to-stand test (panel B). STS: 30-second sit-to-stand test; reps: repetitions.

Figure 3.

Bland-Altman plots of gait speed test (panel A) comparing 2 days of testing (difference assessment = difference day 2 – day 1, average = (day 1 – day 2)/2). Solid horizontal lines show the mean values, and dashed horizontal lines represent the 95% confidence limits. Correlation between the first and second days of the gait speed tests (panel B). GST: gait speed test.

Figure 4.

Bland-Altman plots of timed-up and go test (panel A) comparing 2 days of testing (difference assessment = difference day 2 – day 1, average = (day 1 – day 2)/2). Solid horizontal lines show the mean values, and dashed horizontal lines represent the 95% confidence limits. Correlation between the first and second days of the timed-up and go tests (panel B). TUG: timed-up and go.