Usefulness of chair stand time as a surrogate of gait speed in diagnosing sarcopenia

• Published in: Geriatrics & gerontology international Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 659 - 661
• Main Authors: Nishimura, Takayuki, Arima, Kazuhiko, Okabe, Takuhiro, Mizukami, Satoshi, Tomita, Yoshihito, Kanagae, Mitsuo, Goto, Hisashi, Horiguchi, Itsuko, Abe, Yasuyo, Aoyagi, Kiyoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2017
• Subjects: Aged; chair stand time; Cohort Studies; elderly; estimated formula; Female; gait speed; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motor Activity - physiology; Muscle Strength - physiology; Postural Balance - physiology; Posture - physiology; sarcopenia; Sarcopenia - diagnosis; Sarcopenia - physiopathology; Sensitivity and Specificity; Time Factors; Walking Speed - physiology; chair stand time; gait speed; estimated formula; elderly; sarcopenia
• ISSN: 1444-1586; 1447-0594
• DOI: 10.1111/ggi.12766

Aim Determining gait speed as a measure of physical performance is recommended in diagnosing sarcopenia. Gait speed measurements require a certain amount of space (e.g. a 6‐m course), and might not be feasible in clinical settings or heath checkup examination sites. We developed a formula to estimate chair stand time based on gait speed, and examined the validity (sensitivity and specificity) of using the estimated chair stand time cut‐off point as a surrogate for the recommended gait speed cut‐off point. Methods Chair stand time was defined as the time it took to stand up from a standard chair five times. Gait speed was calculated from the time required for participants to walk a 6‐m course at their usual pace. Results Simple regression analysis showed a significant negative relationship between chair stand time and gait speed (P < 0.0001), and the estimated formula was derived as follows: five times chair stand time = −8.41 × gait speed + 20.0 (R2 = 0.34). Therefore, the chair stand time cut‐off point was estimated to be 13.3 s by inserting the recommended gait speed cut‐off of 0.8 m/s in the above formula. Rounding off to make its use simpler, the estimated chair stand time cut‐off was 13 s. The sensitivity and specificity of the estimated chair stand time cut off were 0.75 and 0.94, respectively. Conclusions Chair stand time might be useful as a surrogate of gait speed when screening for sarcopenia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 659–661.