Timed up and go tests under different measurement conditions among the community-dwelling older adults

Hironori Ohsugi, Yasushi Kurihara, Saori Anzai, Yutaka Kuwae, Katsuyuki Madoba
Purpose:

This study examined whether TUG measurements differed among community-dwelling older adults with regards to different measurement environments; that is, with or without the use of an armrest and with different chair heights.

Methods:

There were two study components. In Study 1, a total of 16 older adults (mean age 71.1±3.8yr, 11 women) performed the TUG test under three conditions: (1) in a narrow corridor using a chair armrest, (2) in a classroom using a chair armrest, and (3) in a classroom without the use of a chair armrest. In Study 2, a total of 17 older adults (mean age 75.5±6.1yr, 14 women) performed the TUG test using seats of three different heights (41 cm, 44 cm, and 46 cm). To examine the differences in TUG measurements, we compared the three respective measurements taken in Studies 1 and 2 using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 28.0 (IBM Japan, Tokyo), and statistical significance was established at P 0.05.

Results:

The results of the TUG in Study 1 were as follows: Corridor: 8.94 ± 1.13 sec, Classroom using a chair armrest: 8.74 ± 1.15 sec, Classroom without chair armrest: 8.90 ± 1.17 sec. The results of the TUG in Study 2 were as follows: 41 cm seat height: 8.37 ± 1.32 sec, 44 cm seat height: 8.47 ± 1.59 sec, 46 cm seat height: 8.43 ± 1.43 sec. There were no significant differences between any of the conditions in Study 1(F = 2.51, P = 0.10) or Study 2(F = 1.50, P = 0.86).


Conclusion(s):

We found no significant effects based on measurement location, seat height, or armrest use in the TUG task, which supports the results of our previous study among young adults, suggesting that the TUG task produces stable measurement results regardless of chair height or armrest usage. This suggests that the TUG test is a highly versatile method for measuring physical function.

Implications:

It is not necessary to consider chair height, measurement location, or armrest use when interpreting TUG results. Therefore, relevant studies can use the TUG test under different conditions and still produce equivalent results.

Funding acknowledgements:
This study was supported by the Sasakawa Health Foundation.
Keywords:
TUG
seat height
armrest
Primary topic:
Older people
Second topic:
Community based rehabilitation
Third topic:
Health promotion and wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Josai International University, Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects
Provide the ethics approval number:
approval number: 10M190054
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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