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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #37493
Title: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE AND SELF-PERCEIVED PHYSICAL FUNCTION

Author
item CRESS ELAINE M - UNIV OF WASHINGTON
item SCHECHTMAN KENNE - WASHINGTON UNIV
item MULROW CYNTHIA D - AUDIE MURPHY VET HOSP
item FIATARONE MARIA - TUFTS-HNRCA
item GERETY MEGHAN B - AUDIE MURPHY VET HOSP
item BUCHNER DAVID M - UNIV OF WASHINGTON

Submitted to: Journal of American Geriatric Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Physical function is an integral component of achieving and maintaining independence in activities of daily living, and is a major contributor to overall health status of elders. Accurate assessment of physical function, as a subcategory of health status, is important for both clinical and research purposes. In this paper, associations between self-perceived and performance-based physical function were assessed in a diverse sample of elderly from a multi-site study. Self-perceived physical function was assessed by a standard questionnaire (Sickness Impact Profile;SIP). Performance-based physical function was measured as gait speed, grip strength, chair-stand, and balance. The working hypothesis of this study is that performance-based and self-perceived physical function measures are significantly associated. Self-perceived and performance- based physical function may be particularly useful as supplemental measures sof physical functional status in cases of depression in nursing home residents. Of the performance measures used here, self-selected gait speed appears to be a standard of self-perceived physical function over a broad range of abilities.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to compare 2 methods of physical functional performance and evaluate the effect of cognitive, social, educational, and age factors in subjects with a broad range of abilities. The study compared self-perceived and performance-based physical functional performance in community-dwelling (n=417) and nursing home (n-200) subjects, age 62-98. Self-perceived physical function was assessed with the physical dimension summary score of the Sickness Impact Profile, that comprises 3 subscales: ambulation, mobility, and body care and movement. Physical performance was evaluated by self-selected gait speed, chair-stand time, maximal grip strength, and a balance score. Multiple regression analysis was used to compare self-perceived (dependent variables) site performance measures (independent variables). Covariates included age, gender, Mini-Mental State scores, education, living status, and depression scores. Nursing home residents and community dwellers were significantly different (p<0.0001) i all variables except age and gender. Self-perceived and performance-based measures were moderately correlated from r= -0.194 to -0.625 (p<.05). Gait speed was the strongest independent predictor of self-perceived physical function in both groups. Symptoms of depression were also an independent predictor of self-perceived function, with depressed subjects reporting more dysfunction than that predicted from performance tests. We conclude that: (1) self-selected gait speed is a global indicator of self-perceived physical function over a broad range of abilities; (2) external determin- ants affect self-perceived function in both groups, yet gait speed is the greatest single predictor of self-perceived function; (3) in nursing home residents, depression affected self-perceived function but not gait speed.