The purpose of this study was to identify the number of repetitions of the sitting-rising test from a chair necessary to estimate a functional disability in older individuals. An epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted with a random sample of 622 individuals, aged > 60 years. The functional capacity was investigated as a dichotomous variable: absence of dependency versus dependency for performing basic activities (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). We employed the sitting-rising test from a chair for 30 seconds (maximum repetitions) to assess the strength of the lower limbs. The test proved to be a good discriminator of functional disability due to the values >0.60 which were identified in the areas under the ROC curves. The cutoff point for determining disability in the BADL was: < 10 repetitions (men) and < 9 repetitions (women); in the IADL: < 14 repetitions (men) and < 10 repetitions (women). The strength of the lower limbs can be used as a predictor of functional disability in BADL and IADL.
lower extremity; muscle strength; functional disabilities; aging; ROC curve
