Physical performance tasks: what are the underlying constructs?

Novy, Diane M., Simmonds, Maureen J. and Lee, C. Ellen (2002) Physical performance tasks: what are the underlying constructs? Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 83 (1), 44 - 47. (doi:10.1053/apmr.2002.27397).

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the structural validity of a battery of physical performance tasks and to investigate the construct validity of the resulting factors.
DESIGN: A measurement study.
SETTING: A large, private orthopedic clinic and a physical therapy clinic in an urban area.
PARTICIPANTS: One hundred three consecutive adult patients with low back pain who were referred for physical therapy assessment.
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The physical performance battery was composed of the 50-foot speed walk, 5-minute walk, repeated trunk flexion, sit to stand, loaded reach, rollover tasks, and Sorensen upper-body lift. Participants also completed 5 self-report measures.
RESULTS: Two correlated (.74) factors, speed and coordination and endurance and strength, were derived from the physical performance tasks. The Sorenson upper-body lift task was the only indicator that was not useful in defining the factors. Both factors had statistically significant correlations with measures of physical disability, lack of self-efficacy, and negative affect. Both factors had a trivial correlation with a numeric rating of pain intensity.
CONCLUSIONS: There is support for 2 meaningful empiric groupings (ie, the derived factors) of the performance tasks. Pain intensity had a trivial overlap with speed-coordination and endurance-strength factors.

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