An applicability study of the aahperd's functional fitness test for elderly american adults to elderly Japanese adults.

In 1990 a functional fitness test for the elderly was proposed by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education,Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). This study was undertaken to determine the applicability of that test for elderly Japanese adults. The fitness parameters of the test were "total body flexibility","agility and dynamic balance","coordination of eye, arm and hand movements","strength and endurance",and "aerobic capacity". The sample consisted of five hundred thirty-four healthy normal elderly adults between the ages of 60 and 90.The results indicated that each test item possessed relatively high reliability and validity. It would be useful to give this test to the elderly Japanese adults in order to determine their functional fitness levels measured by each test item individually and also to assess the relationships between their functional fitness levels and their activities of daily living, particularly those involving cognitive and social abilities.