A SHORT PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE BATTERY ASSESSING LOWER-EXTREMITY FUNCTION - ASSOCIATION WITH SELF-REPORTED DISABILITY AND PREDICTION OF MORTALITY AND NURSING-HOME ADMISSION

Background. A short battery of physical performance tests was used to assess lower extremity function in more than 5,000 persons age 71 year s and older in three communities. Methods. Balance, gait, strength, an d endurance were evaluated by examining ability to stand with the feet together in the side-by-side, semi-tandem, and tandem positions, time to walk 8 feet, and time to rise from a chair and return to the seate d position 5 times. Results. A wide distribution of performance was ob served for each test. Each test and a summary performance scale, creat ed by summing categorical rankings of performance on each test, were s trongly associated with self-report of disability. Both self-report it ems and performance tests were independent predictors of short-term mo rtality and nursing home admission in multivariate analyses. However, evidence is presented that the performance tests provide information n ot available from self-report items. Of particular importance is the f inding that in those at the high end of the functional spectrum, who r eported almost no disability, the performance test Scores distinguishe d a gradient of risk for mortality and nursing home admission. Additio nally, within subgroups with identical self-report profiles, there wer e systematic differences in physical performance related to age and se x. Conclusion. This study provides evidence that performance measures can validly characterize older persons across a broad spectrum of lowe r extremity function. Performance and self-report measures may complem ent each other in providing useful information about functional status .