Reliability and Validity of the Revised Successive-Choice Step Reaction Test in Elderly Women

Abstract

Falls occur unexpectedly in elderly individuals. Even when they pay close attention, they have difficulty avoiding falls. Therefore, these individuals must make fall-avoidance movements instantly-namely, quick one-step forward reactions (compensatory steps) when falls occur. This study examined the reliability and validity of a newly developed step reaction test for elderly women. The subjects included 22 young elderly women (65-74 years old) and 28 older elderly women (75-90 years old) with exercise habits, 22 young elderly women and 20 older elderly women without exercise habits, and 23 young women. Subjects stood in the middle of eight test sheets and then stepped rapidly onto the sheet indicated at random on the computer screen. A sum of the time from stimulus presentation to step landing on each sheet was used as an evaluation variable (movement time). The reliability of the test was high (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.84-0.97). The results of one-way analysis of variance and multiple comparison tests showed that mean movement time increased in the order young subjects, young elderly subjects, older elderly subjects with exercise habits, and older elderly subjects without exercise habits. In addition, a significant decrease in movement time with age was found in elderly subjects without exercise habits (r = 0.65) but not in elderly subjects with exercise habits. In conclusion, the new step reaction test showed high reliability and validity.