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Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/urqe20
On the Generality of the “Sit and Reach” Test: An Analysis of Flexibility Data for an Aging Population a
b
Roy J. Shephard , Mavis Berridge & William Montelpare a
University of Toronto , USA
b
University of Toronto , USA
c
c
Brock University , St. Catharines , Ont , USA Published online: 08 Feb 2013.
To cite this article: Roy J. Shephard , Mavis Berridge & William Montelpare (1990) On the Generality of the “Sit and Reach” Test: An Analysis of Flexibility Data for an Aging Population, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 61:4, 326-330, DOI: 10.1080/02701367.1990.10607495 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02701367.1990.10607495
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
SHBPIIARD, MONTI!LPARB, ANDBllllR1Ildll
REsEARCH QUARTBRLY FOR EXERCISE ANDSPOKr 1990, VOL. 61, No.4, pp.
326-330
On the Generality of the "Sit and Reach" Test: An Analysis of Flexibility Data for an Aging Population ROY J. SHEPHARD AND MAVIS BERRIDGE University of Toronto
Downloaded by [University of Toronto Libraries] at 06:21 17 March 2015
WILLIAM MONTELPARE Brock University
representative population surveys such as the Canada Fitness Survey (Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 1983; Shephard, 1986). The results of this particular test seem relatively independent of body build (Broer & Galles, 1958; Harvey & Scott, 1967; Mathews, Shaw, & Bohnen, 1957; Mathews,Shaw,&Woods,1959;Wear, 1963),andtherehave been claims that adverse test results are associated with an increased likelihood of subsequent low back pain (Kraus & Raab, 1961). Extensive cross-sectional data on sit and reach scores at various ages have now been obtained through the Canada Fitness Survey (Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 1983; Shephard, 1986), but it is unclear to what extent the changes of score for this test reflect the general loss of flexibility with aging. The present report thus replicates observations on younger populations, examining flexibility data for a population of men and women aged 45-75 years, with the purpose ofidentifying common flexibility factors and testing the generality ofsit and reach scores relative to age and gender-related differences of flexibility seen at other major joints.
Head rotation, shoulder extension and rotation, ankle plantar and dorsiflexion, hip flexion, and sit and reach (SR) scores were examined in 41 women and 39 men, aged 45-75 years. The SR gave more reproducible data than the other measurements (intraclass test/retest correlation over 8 months, r = .83). SR scores were independent ofstanding height (r = .068) but were greater in women (p < .002). The flexibility at all joints was less than reported for young adults. There were age-related decreases offlexibility scores for the head and shoulder joints (p < .01), with a parallel trend (p < .05) for ankle plantar flexion and SR scores (the last only after inclusion ofan age-gender interaction term). A principal components analysis identified three factors (tentatively identified as general trunk, ankle, and shoulder flexibility) accounting for 55.9% oftotal variance. SR scores had a moderate correlation with the first factor (r = .61) but only weak correlations with the second and third. Although the SR test is the most reliable simple instrument, it provides only limited information about the flexibility at other joints in an older population.
Key words: flexibility, sit and reach, goniometry, aging Flexiblity (Clarke, 1975; Wiechec & Krusen, 1939) is an important component of fitness, particularly in the older person, but it is difficult to measure in population surveys. Time permits the examination of only one or two joints, and studies of children and young adults have provided no guarantee that flexibility is uniform from one region of the body to another (Harris, 1969; Holland, 1968; Hubley, 1982; Hupperich & Sigerseth, 1950; Munroe & Romance, 1975). The sit and reach test (Wells & Dillon, 1952) and its analogs (Scott & French, 1959) have long been popular as objective field tests of static flexibility (Clarke, 1975). The sit and reach score provides a simple measure of flexibility in the hip, spine, and hamstring muscles (Wells & Dillon, 1952) and is the sole test offlexibility adopted in a number of large-scale
Methods Subjects The subjects were 41 women and 39 men who had volunteered for an assessment ofphysical fitness and possible participation in weekly fitness or health education classes, under- terms (including informed consent) approved by the University Committee on Human Experimentation. All of those tested were members of the university community and were free of gross musculoskeletal disorders. Their ages were
REsEARCHQUARTBRLY FOREXERCISE ANDSPOKr, VOL.
326
61, No.4
SHBPIIARD, MONTBLPARB, ANDBIlRR100B
distributed fairly uniformly over the range 45-75 years, and the physical characteristics (height, body mass) were as anticipatedfor this age group (M ± SD, for men57.7 ± 8.0 years, 174.1 ± 5.9 em, 75.7 ± 12.0 kg, and for women 59.0 ± 10.0 years, 158.2 ± 7.3 cm, 59.0 ± 14.2 kg). Measurements were made in early Septemberand were repeatedusingan identicaltechniquein May of the following year.Duringthe interveningeight months,a thirdof thegroup had participatedin low intensityworksitefitnessclassesonce a week (45-min duration, heart rate
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/urqe20
On the Generality of the “Sit and Reach” Test: An Analysis of Flexibility Data for an Aging Population a
b
Roy J. Shephard , Mavis Berridge & William Montelpare a
University of Toronto , USA
b
University of Toronto , USA
c
c
Brock University , St. Catharines , Ont , USA Published online: 08 Feb 2013.
To cite this article: Roy J. Shephard , Mavis Berridge & William Montelpare (1990) On the Generality of the “Sit and Reach” Test: An Analysis of Flexibility Data for an Aging Population, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 61:4, 326-330, DOI: 10.1080/02701367.1990.10607495 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02701367.1990.10607495
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
SHBPIIARD, MONTI!LPARB, ANDBllllR1Ildll
REsEARCH QUARTBRLY FOR EXERCISE ANDSPOKr 1990, VOL. 61, No.4, pp.
326-330
On the Generality of the "Sit and Reach" Test: An Analysis of Flexibility Data for an Aging Population ROY J. SHEPHARD AND MAVIS BERRIDGE University of Toronto
Downloaded by [University of Toronto Libraries] at 06:21 17 March 2015
WILLIAM MONTELPARE Brock University
representative population surveys such as the Canada Fitness Survey (Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 1983; Shephard, 1986). The results of this particular test seem relatively independent of body build (Broer & Galles, 1958; Harvey & Scott, 1967; Mathews, Shaw, & Bohnen, 1957; Mathews,Shaw,&Woods,1959;Wear, 1963),andtherehave been claims that adverse test results are associated with an increased likelihood of subsequent low back pain (Kraus & Raab, 1961). Extensive cross-sectional data on sit and reach scores at various ages have now been obtained through the Canada Fitness Survey (Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 1983; Shephard, 1986), but it is unclear to what extent the changes of score for this test reflect the general loss of flexibility with aging. The present report thus replicates observations on younger populations, examining flexibility data for a population of men and women aged 45-75 years, with the purpose ofidentifying common flexibility factors and testing the generality ofsit and reach scores relative to age and gender-related differences of flexibility seen at other major joints.
Head rotation, shoulder extension and rotation, ankle plantar and dorsiflexion, hip flexion, and sit and reach (SR) scores were examined in 41 women and 39 men, aged 45-75 years. The SR gave more reproducible data than the other measurements (intraclass test/retest correlation over 8 months, r = .83). SR scores were independent ofstanding height (r = .068) but were greater in women (p < .002). The flexibility at all joints was less than reported for young adults. There were age-related decreases offlexibility scores for the head and shoulder joints (p < .01), with a parallel trend (p < .05) for ankle plantar flexion and SR scores (the last only after inclusion ofan age-gender interaction term). A principal components analysis identified three factors (tentatively identified as general trunk, ankle, and shoulder flexibility) accounting for 55.9% oftotal variance. SR scores had a moderate correlation with the first factor (r = .61) but only weak correlations with the second and third. Although the SR test is the most reliable simple instrument, it provides only limited information about the flexibility at other joints in an older population.
Key words: flexibility, sit and reach, goniometry, aging Flexiblity (Clarke, 1975; Wiechec & Krusen, 1939) is an important component of fitness, particularly in the older person, but it is difficult to measure in population surveys. Time permits the examination of only one or two joints, and studies of children and young adults have provided no guarantee that flexibility is uniform from one region of the body to another (Harris, 1969; Holland, 1968; Hubley, 1982; Hupperich & Sigerseth, 1950; Munroe & Romance, 1975). The sit and reach test (Wells & Dillon, 1952) and its analogs (Scott & French, 1959) have long been popular as objective field tests of static flexibility (Clarke, 1975). The sit and reach score provides a simple measure of flexibility in the hip, spine, and hamstring muscles (Wells & Dillon, 1952) and is the sole test offlexibility adopted in a number of large-scale
Methods Subjects The subjects were 41 women and 39 men who had volunteered for an assessment ofphysical fitness and possible participation in weekly fitness or health education classes, under- terms (including informed consent) approved by the University Committee on Human Experimentation. All of those tested were members of the university community and were free of gross musculoskeletal disorders. Their ages were
REsEARCHQUARTBRLY FOREXERCISE ANDSPOKr, VOL.
326
61, No.4
SHBPIIARD, MONTBLPARB, ANDBIlRR100B
distributed fairly uniformly over the range 45-75 years, and the physical characteristics (height, body mass) were as anticipatedfor this age group (M ± SD, for men57.7 ± 8.0 years, 174.1 ± 5.9 em, 75.7 ± 12.0 kg, and for women 59.0 ± 10.0 years, 158.2 ± 7.3 cm, 59.0 ± 14.2 kg). Measurements were made in early Septemberand were repeatedusingan identicaltechniquein May of the following year.Duringthe interveningeight months,a thirdof thegroup had participatedin low intensityworksitefitnessclassesonce a week (45-min duration, heart rate
