Reliability and validity of a simple endurance test for the elderly ; shuttle stamina walk test (SSTw)

Abstract

To develop a simple test of endurance capacity in the elderly, we evaluated the reliability and validity of the shuttle stamina walk test (SSTw), in which the running in the shuttle stamina test (SST : 3-minute shuttle running along a 10-meter course) was changed to walking. We found that: 1) The walking distance in the SSTw was correlated with V̇o2max (r=0.827), 2) the walking distance showed a correlation between the first test and a re-test (r=0.853), 3) the mean peak heart rate during the test was 86.3% of the estimated maximum heart rate with no difference according to age or sex, 4) subjective evaluation of the intensity of exercise was expressed as "fairly light" or "somewhat hard" by 73.7% of the subjects, 5) the results of the SSTw reflected the subjects' self-evaluation of endurance capacity, and 6) the age-related percentage reduction of the walking distance in the SSTw was similar to that in V̇o2max in subjects aged 40 years and above. These results suggest that the SSTw, a simple test of endurance capacity that can be performed safely over a wide range of middle-aged to elderly people including those in late old age and those with a low fitness level, has sufficient reliability and validity.