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PHYS THER
Vol. 78, No. 2, February 1998, pp. 134-148
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Article

Safety and feasibility of a health-related fitness test battery for adults

JH Suni, SI Miilunpalo, TM Asikainen, RT Laukkanen, P Oja, ME Pasanen, K Bos, and IM Vuori

President Urho Kaleva Kekkonen Institute for Health Promotion Research (UKK Institute), Tampere, Finland.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health-related fitness (HRFI) assessment may be useful in promoting physical activity. Health-related fitness refers to those components of fitness that are related to health status. The safety and feasibility of a test battery designed for the assessment of HRFI were evaluated. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Middle-aged men (n = 246) and women (n = 254), evenly selected from five age cohorts of a random sample (N = 826), were tested. The subjects had a mean age of 47.0 years (SD = 7.9, range = 37-57). Screening to identify subjects with health limitations was conducted by fitness testers who had master's degrees in sport or health sciences. Safety was assessed in terms of acute complications, delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and heart rate after each test. Subject exclusion and time costs were evaluated for feasibility. RESULTS: No acute complications occurred. The leg function test caused severe DOMS among inactive women. The overall exclusion rate increased with age. Up to 27% of subjects aged 52 and 57 years were excluded from muscle endurance tests, mainly due to self-reported heart disease or elevated blood pressures. Over 90% of the subjects, however, qualified for balance, flexibility, muscle force, and walk tests. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: The test battery offers a safe and feasible method for the assessment of HRFI in working-aged adults, with the limitation that the one-leg squat function test may cause DOMS, particularly in inactive women.


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T.-M. Asikainen, J. H Suni, M. E Pasanen, P. Oja, M. B Rinne, S. I Miilunpalo, C.-H. A Nygard, and I. M Vuori
Effect of Brisk Walking in 1 or 2 Daily Bouts and Moderate Resistance Training on Lower-Extremity Muscle Strength, Balance, and Walking Performance in Women Who Recently Went Through Menopause: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
Physical Therapy, July 1, 2006; 86(7): 912 - 923.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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