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Reliability of six physical performance tests in older people with dementia
Blankevoort CG, van Heuvelen MJ, Scherder EJ.. Physical therapy, 2012-09-13
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Physical performance tests are important for assessing the effect of physical activity interventions in older people with dementia, but their psychometric properties have not been systematically established within this specific population. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the relative and absolute test-retest reliability of the 6-m walk test, the figure-of-Eight Walk Test (F8W), the Timed "Up & Go" Test (TUG), the Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques-4 (FICSIT-4) Balance Test, the Chair Rise Test (CRT), and the Jamar dynamometer. These tests are used to assess gait speed, dynamic balance, functional mobility, static balance, lower-limb strength, and grip strength, respectively.
Key findings
- Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the relative and absolute test-retest reliability of the 6-m walk test, the figure-of-Eight Walk Test (F8W), the Timed "Up & Go" Test (TUG), the Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques-4 (FICSIT-4) Balance Test, the Chair Rise Test (CRT), and the Jamar dynamometer.
- These tests are used to assess gait speed, dynamic balance, functional mobility, static balance, lower-limb strength, and grip strength, respectively.
- Design This investigation was a prospective, nonexperimental study.
- Methods Older people with dementia (n=58, age range=70-92 years) performed each test at baseline and again after 1 week.
Why it matters
This study checked how reliably six physical performance tests work when used repeatedly in older people with dementia, covering walking speed, balance, mobility, strength and grip. Reliable tests like these are needed to properly measure whether physical activity interventions help this group.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants58
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Physical therapy) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Physical Therapy: journal h-index 270 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2013 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 58 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 151 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.1 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 20.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 23 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Erik Scherder: h-index 68 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: institution h-index 1,014 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 22976448) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Blankevoort, C. G., van Heuvelen, M. J., & Scherder, E. J. (2013). Reliability of six physical performance tests in older people with dementia. Physical therapy. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20110164
Vancouver
Blankevoort CG, van Heuvelen MJ, Scherder EJ. Reliability of six physical performance tests in older people with dementia. Physical therapy. 2013. doi:10.2522/ptj.20110164. PMID: 22976448.
BibTeX
@article{blankevoort2013-22976448,
author = {Blankevoort, C. G. and van Heuvelen, M. J. and Scherder, E. J.},
title = {{Reliability of six physical performance tests in older people with dementia}},
journal = {Physical therapy},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.2522/ptj.20110164},
pmid = {22976448},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20110164}
}
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