Abstract
We compared falls in community-dwelling older adults during the previous year using six items from the new physical fitness test created by the Japanese Ministry of Education and Science. The participants comprised females (mean age±standard deviation, 73.6±8.3 years) who understood the purpose of the study and provided their consent. The new test is composed of the following measures: grip strength; sit-ups; a sit-and-reach test; single leg standing; a 10-m obstacle walking test; and a 6-minute walking test. The participants were divided into two groups (fallers or non-fallers) based their number of falls in the year prior to the study. Differences between the groups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test. The odds ratio (OR) of falling was evaluated using a logistic regression model with significantly different items (p＜0.05) as the independent variable and falling or non-falling during the past year as the dependent variable. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC), and cut-off point of fall predictions. Significant differences were observed between groups in single leg standing, the 10-m obstacle walking test, and the 6-minute walking test. After converting these items to independent variables based on the logistic regression model, the only significant difference observed between the groups was the 10-m obstacle walking test (OR: 1.473; 95% confidence interval: 1.127-1.924; p=0.005). The 10-m obstacle walking test results were: AUC=0.763; cut-off point=8.7 seconds; sensitivity=100%; and specificity=57.8%. These results suggest that the 10-m obstacle walking test is a useful predictor of falls in community-dwelling older adults.
