VALIDACIÓN DEL SENIOR FITNESS TEST EN LA CIUDAD DE TUNJA

Introduction: The Senior Fitness Test evaluates the necessary functional aptitude for physical independence of senior adults, allowing for the assessment of the individual performance of physical qualities (strength, flexibility, aerobic capacity, agility and balance). Objective: To establish the validity of the Senior Fitness Test in the elderly population in Tunja to obtain a measurement of physical properties. Materials and Methods: A descriptive, quantitative approach with a longitudinal design was used. The population consisted of 1,330 senior adults from Tunja who exercised in groups, such as Indeportes Boyaca, Comfaboy, Club Nueva Vida and Irdet. A sample was obtained using Epidat version 3.1® software with an accuracy of 0.70, a maximum Cronbach's Alpha of 0.85 and a confidence value of 95%, which provided a sample of 237 senior adults and a subsample for implementation of the Re-test to establish an intraclass correlation in related groups, with an expected correlation of 90%, a confidence level of 95% and a power of 90%, resulting in a sample size of 38. Stratified 6o Seminario Internacional en Actividad Física y Salud Prescripción, planificación y control del ejercicio para la salud en el proceso vital Expomotricidad 2015 | Instituto Universitario de Educación Física Universidad de Antioquia 13 probability sampling was conducted by group physical activity with proportional allocation. The inclusion criterion, which was established to determine whether the individual was physically fit for the test, was completion of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire form PARQ. It was also necessary that the daily activities be performed independently without the assistance of a 3rd party and that the subject had not consumed alcohol or had not been awake the night before the test. The instruments utilized a medical record format that gathered socio-demographic characteristics, and the Senior Fitness Test was then based on the procedure laid down in the cross-validation. Prior and informed consent was obtained. The data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0® software to obtain frequency measurements, central tendency, rate agreement or acceptance rate; then, the index of the intercorrelation evaluator and the percentiles of each test were calculated. The project was approved by the Research Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Bioethics University of Boyacá. Results: The rate of overall agreement was good; none of the items resulted in disagreement between the judges, and the comprehensibility was 85.2% based on differing subjects with different levels of schooling and age. The Cronbach's alpha was adequate, the reproducibility of the tests provided a CCI between 0.851 and 0.960 with a CI of 95% and p <0.005 in the test retest. For the classification of physical condition, three levels were proposed: low, normal and excellent. Conclusions: The Spanish adaptation of the Senior Fitness Test was used, supported by the validity of appearance and readability, with adequate internal consistency and reproducibility. The classification provides an overview of the status of senior adults that will allow for the design of more efficient physical activity programs.