Diagnostic accuracy of the five times stand-to-sit test for the screening of global muscle weakness in community-dwelling older women.

BACKGROUND: Although the 5 times stand-to-sit test (5TSST) is indicated for screening for muscle weakness in older adults, its validity is based only on the correlation with quadriceps muscle strength or with the muscle strength of a few muscle groups of the lower limbs. Thus, the objective of the present study was to verify whether in independent older women, the 5TSST can really estimate global muscle strength, considering the sum of muscle strength of the trunk, hip, knee and ankle, which are important for functional activities. METHODS: 119 independent older women participated in this cross-sectional study, undergoing the 5TSST and an isometric muscle strength assessment of the trunk, hip, knee and ankle, using an isokinetic dynamometer. The accuracy of the 5TSST for the discrimination of older women with reduced global muscle strength was evaluated by the ROC curve. RESULTS: The ROC curve showed that the 5TSST may discriminate older women with reduced global muscle strength with moderate accuracy (AUC = 0.783; 95 % CI = 0.681-0.886; p < 0.001). The 5TSST score with the best accuracy (sensitivity: 80.0 % and specificity: 61.8 %) to evaluate global muscle strength was 11.64 s. CONCLUSION: 5TSST can be used to identify reduced global muscle strength in independent older women, standing out as an accessible tool for the screening of muscle weakness.