Normative Data for Timed-Up-and-Go and One-Leg-Standing for 66-Year-Old Koreans: A Nationwide Study

To investigate updated, sex-stratified normative data for timed-up-and-go and one-leg-standing tests among 66-year-old Koreans.

Retrospective cross-sectional study using a large, nationally representative data set.

Data were obtained with official permission from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. This study included 66-year-old citizens who participated in the National Screening Program for Transitional Ages between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017. Participants with missing values for the timed-up-and-go or one-leg-standing tests were excluded from the analysis. A total of 2,704,715 participants were included (53.7% female), with 2,231,397 analyzed for one-leg-standing.

The timed-up-and-go and one-leg-standing results were sex-stratified, and means, SDs, and the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles were calculated for each group. The influence of demographic, health behavior, clinical, and comorbidity variables on test performance was analyzed.

Men outperformed women in both timed-up-and-go (men: 8.20 ± 3.33 seconds; women: 8.59 ± 3.30 seconds; P < .001) and one-leg-standing (men: 20.39 ± 9.19 seconds; women: 18.26 ± 8.72 seconds; P < .001). Both sexes showed improvements in the 2 tests over the 9-year period. Female sex, low income, obesity, and chronic conditions negatively impacted performance.

This study provides updated normative values for timed-up-and-go and one-leg-standing, facilitating more accurate mobility assessments and risk screening. Observed improvements in both tests among 66-year-olds over the time course of the study reflect positive public health trends in Korea. These findings emphasize the need for population-specific reference values and standardized protocols. Tailored health interventions are necessary for vulnerable populations. Updating cutoff values based on demographic trends may improve early intervention strategies, ultimately enhancing functional health and quality of life in older adults.