Experimental gerontology
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Experimental gerontology · Apr 2018
Multicenter StudyThe physical capabilities underlying timed "Up and Go" test are time-dependent in community-dwelling older women.
Timed 'Up and Go' (TUG) has been widely used in research and clinical practice to evaluate physical function and mobility in older adults. However, the physical capabilities underlying TUG performance are not well elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating a selection of physical capacities underlying TUG performance in community-dwelling older women. ⋯ Multiple linear regression results indicate that the variability in TUG (~20%) was explained by lower limb muscle strength (13%) and power (1%), balance (4%), mobility (2%), and aerobic capacity (<1%), even after adjusted by age and age plus body mass index (BMI). However, when TUG results were added as quartiles, a decrease in the impact of physical capacities on TUG performance was determined. As a whole, our findings indicate that the contribution of physical capabilities to TUG performance is altered according to the time taken to perform the test, so that older women in the lower quartiles - indicating a higher performance - have an important contribution of lower limb muscle strength, while volunteers in the highest quartile demonstrate a decreased dependence on lower limb muscle strength and an increased contribution of other physical capabilities, such as lower limb muscle power and balance.