Accuracy of modified 30-s chair-stand test for predicting falls in older adults.

Background: Postural stability during sit-to-stand (STS) movements depends on visual and somatosensory information. A modification of the 30-sec chair-stand test (30s-CST) with visual and somatosensory alteration (m30CST) may improve the ability to identify fall status.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of the m30CST in predicting falls in older adults.
Methods: This prospective cohort study recruited a convenience sample of 73 individuals from Kao Kilo community, Chonburi, Thailand. Eligibility criteria were age≥65 years and independent STS ability. All participants performed the 30s-CST and m30CSTs (i.e., eyes closed and a foam surface and eyes closed and a foam surface). The fall incidence during a 6-month follow-up was recorded. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated. Twenty participants were designated for reliability and validity analyses using the 30s-CST and the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) Scale, estimating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).
Results: We included 37 fallers and 36 non-fallers. All tests showed excellent accuracy in classifying fallers (AUC=0.77-0.91). The m30CST with eyes closed and a foam surface had the highest AUC (0.91), with a cutoff score of 9.25 repetitions, sensitivity 92%, and specificity 81%. The m30CSTs presented excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC=0.93-0.96) and test-retest reliability (ICC=0.90-0.96), good to excellent correlation with the 30s-CST (r=0.90-0.98), and moderate to good correlation with the FAB Scale (r=0.64-0.73).
Conclusions: The m30CST could be used as an alternative evaluation for predicting the risk of falls in community-dwelling older adults, with excellent accuracy.
(Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)