Determination of functional fitness age in women aged 50 and older

BACKGROUND: The construction of useful and attainable indicators of fitness assessment deserves special attention in clinical practice. We aimed to construct an indicator of the functional fitness age (FFA) of women aged 50 and older by an equation using fitness outcomes and its correlation with chronological age (CA) and to analyze the external validity of our results by comparing our sample to others. METHODS: Participants (n = 459, age: 70.3 ± 7.9 years, mean ± SD) were evaluated using the Senior Fitness Test battery. We applied a multiple regression and a subsequent Holt's exponential smoothing to analyze the outcomes. RESULTS: We obtained a statistically significant expression of F(6, 452) = 328.384; p < 0.0005 in which the coefficients of the equation explain 81% of variability (R(2)(corrected) = 0.813). The equation correlates fitness assessment in women aged 50 and over with regards to CA: FFA = 40.146 + 0.350 × CS (stand) − 0.714 × AC (rep) − 0.110 × ST (step) − 0.177 × CSR (cm) − 0.101 × BS (cm) + 8.835 × FUG (s) where CS means chair stand test, AC means arm curl test, ST means 2-min step test, CSR means chair sit-and-reach test, BS means back scratch test, FUG means 8-foot up-and-go test. We compared this index with percentiles distribution from our sample and from other studies. CONCLUSION: We suggest the use of FFA as a valid indicator of fitness in adult and senior women as well as a useful motivational tool to undertake exercise programs.