A Virtual Versus In-Person Comparison of the Senior Fitness Test: A Randomized Crossover Trial

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Physical Therapy
• Health Informatics

Background:

• The Senior Fitness Test (SFT) is a validated assessment for older adults' physical function.
• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote assessment methods, including for the SFT.
• The need for accessible and reliable virtual health assessments is growing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the validity and reliability of a modified Senior Fitness Test (SFT) delivered virtually versus in-person.
• To determine if virtual SFT results correlate with traditional in-person SFT measurements.

Main Methods:

• A modified Senior Fitness Test (SFT) was adapted for virtual delivery.
• Community-dwelling older adults were randomly assigned to complete the SFT in-person or virtually first.
• Participants then completed the SFT in the alternate delivery mode to allow for direct comparison.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found between in-person and virtual SFT measurements for the 2-minute step, 30-second arm curl, 30-second chair stand, and chair sit and reach tests.
• Participant demographics included 40 individuals (50% women) with a mean age of 72 years.
• The virtual SFT demonstrated high concordance with in-person assessments across all tested components.

Conclusions:

• The modified Senior Fitness Test (SFT) can be reliably administered in a virtual setting.
• Virtual SFT offers a practical and effective alternative for assessing senior mobility, strength, and flexibility when in-person testing is not feasible.
• This approach supports continued health monitoring and intervention for older adults remotely.