Table 1 Tools and methods for physical function test.
Test items | Test tools | Test methods |
|---|---|---|
Body mass index (BMI) | Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator (OMRON HBF-306). | The participants were asked to take off their shoes and hold themselves upright. |
Flexibility | Adjustable Flexibility Testers (DELI FT303). | The participants were asked to take off their shoes and sit on a flat mat, with their back against the wall, arms straight, palms down and hands on the test instrument board, legs straight. In formal test, they needed to bend the upper body forward and push the tester gently forward until they couldn’t push it any further. The results were recorded in cm. |
Vital capacity | Lungtest Handy (Norenka TRX, with the scale interval of 1 ml). | During the test, the participants first did the maximum inhalation, and then tried to do the maximum exhalation into the mouthpiece. The exhalation process needed to be continuous, and they couldn’t do the supplementary inhalation action during the exhalation process until the end of the blow. Each participant needed to be measured for three times, and the highest value of the three measurements was reported as their vital capacity. The results were recorded in ml. |
Muscular fitness | Smart electronic hand-grip dynamometer (Condo EH106, with the scale interval of 0.1 kg) for grip strength test; Standing long jump mat (Rubber size: 2.5 m in length, 0.9 m in width, and 3.5 mm in thickness; with the scale interval of 1 cm) for standing long jump test. | Smart electronic hand-grip dynamometer (Condo EH106, with the scale interval of 0.1 kg) was used to measure grip strength. During the test, the participant used the dominant hand to perform the test. Each participant needed to be measured for three times, and the highest value of the three measurements was reported as their result of grip strength. The results were recorded in kg. Standing long jump mat (Rubber size: 2.5 m in length, 0.9 m in width, and 3.5 mm in thickness; with the scale interval of 1 cm) was used to do the standing long jump test. Each participant needed to be measured for three times, and the best result of the three measurements was reported as their final result of standing long jump. The results were recorded in cm. |
Balance quality | The index of standing on one foot with eyes open reflected the balance ability of the participants. | The participants should stand on the dominant leg, with hands on the waist and the foot of the other leg placed at the knee of the supporting leg. After the “start” signal, the participants’ body needed to remain as still as possible until they cannot persist. We calculated the time between the start and the imbalance of the participants. Each participant needed to be measured for three times, and the best result of the three measurements was reported as their final result of balance quality. The results were recorded in s. |
