30-second chair stand test · Sit-to-stand test
Purpose
Use this test to measure leg strength and endurance in older adults. Your client stands up from a chair and sits down again as many times as they can in 30 seconds.
The CDC uses it in STEADI, its fall prevention toolkit. Jones, Rikli and Beam found it a reliable and valid measure of lower body strength in active older adults living in the community.
Procedure
- Preparation
- Use a chair with a straight back, no arm rests and a seat about 43 cm (17 in) high. Stand next to your client for safety.
- Equipment
- Chair without arm rests and a stopwatch
Sit in the middle
Your client sits in the middle of the chair with the feet flat on the floor and the back straight.
Cross the arms
They cross the arms at the wrists, place the hands on the opposite shoulders and keep the arms against the chest.
Stand and sit
Say “Go” and start the stopwatch. Your client rises to a full stand, sits back down and repeats for 30 seconds.
Count the stands
Count each full stand. If your client is more than halfway up when the 30 seconds end, count it as a stand.
Stop the test if your client has to use their arms to stand, and record 0.
Scoring
The score is the number of full stands in 30 seconds.
Interpretation
The CDC lists the scores below as below average for each age. The calculator shows the count without a label.
Reference values
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 60 to 64 | Under 14 | Under 12 |
| 65 to 69 | Under 12 | Under 11 |
| 70 to 74 | Under 12 | Under 10 |
| 75 to 79 | Under 11 | Under 10 |
| 80 to 84 | Under 10 | Under 9 |
| 85 to 89 | Under 8 | Under 8 |
| 90 to 94 | Under 7 | Under 4 |
Sources
- CDC STEADI: 30-Second Chair Stand assessmentEquipment, instructions, scoring and below-average scores by age and sex.
- Jones, Rikli and Beam: a 30-s chair-stand test as a measure of lower body strength (1999)Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 70(2):113–119. Reliability and validity in 76 community-dwelling older adults.
Sources checked by SoloTrainer.net · 25 Sep