SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL-FITNESS OF OLDER PERSONS - A SUBSTITUTE FOR PERFORMANCE-BASED MEASURES OF PHYSICAL-FITNESS

To evaluate the validity of self-report measures of physical fitness a s substitutes for performance-based tests, self-reports and performanc e-based tests of physical fitness were compared. Subjects were a commu nity-based sample of older adults (N = 624) aged 57 and over. The perf ormance-based tests included endurance, flexibility, strength, balance , manual dexterity, and reaction time. The self-report evaluation asse ssed selected individual subcomponents of fitness and used both peers and absolute standards as reference. The results showed that compared to performance-based tests, the self-report items were more strongly i nterrelated and they less effectively evaluated the different subdomai ns of physical fitness. Corresponding performance-based tests and self -report items were weakly to moderately associated. All self-report it ems were related most strongly with the performance-based endurance te st. Apparently older people tend to estimate overall fitness, in which endurance plays an important part, rather than individual subcomponen ts of fitness. Therefore, thr self-report measures have limited validi ty as predictors of performance-based physical fitness.