This study aimed to evaluate intrarater and interrater reliability when measuring hip abductor strength in the supine position using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) (Study 1), and to elucidate the relationships between measured values and examiners' physical characteristics (Study 2). Three healthy examiners (1 female, 24 y.o. and 2 males 23 and 27 y.o) and 12 subjects (6 females, 24.5 ± 2.8 years and 6 males, 27.7 ± 3.5 years) participated in Study 1, and 20 healthy examiners (7 females, 22.3 ± 1.3 years and 13 males, 29.4 ± 8.2 years) and 2 subjects (1 female, 24 y.o. and 1 male 27 y.o) participated in Study 2. All healthy examiners were hospital employees. Hip abductor strength was measured by HHD with hand fixation and with belt fixation, and examiner age, sex, height, weight, BMI, and dominant hand grip strength were evaluated. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (1,1), a measure of intrarater reliability, was 0.89-0.95 with hand fixation and 0.96-0.97 with belt fixation. ICC (2,1), a measure of interrater reliability, was 0.76-0.79 and 0.90-0.93, respectively. In subjects with high muscle strength (the examiner's hand was moved), the examiner's dominant hand grip strength affected muscle strength values with hand fixation (standardized partial regression coefficient = 0.78, determination coefficient R(2 )= 0.61, p < 0.01). In subjects with low muscle strength (the examiner's hand was not moved), no variables had effect. When the muscle strength of the subject is weak, both methods can be used. When the muscle strength of the subject is strong, it is necessary to adjust the value obtained by the examiner's dominant hand grip strength in the hand fixation method.

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Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to investigate the reliability of Japanese manuals for the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC-J) in daycare centers for handicapped children.[Subjects] Nine handicapped children with mental retardation, cerebral paralysis, etc were the subjects.[Methods] Four raters (one physical therapist: PT, one occupational therapist: OT, and two nursery teachers) individually used the ABC-J in an inter-rater reliability to determine the reliability of the result between different raters. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability were examined using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC).[Results] Inter-rater reliability ICC (2.1) were 0.582, 0.144, 0, 0.494 and 0.467 for "Irritability", "Lethargy", "Stereotypy", "Hyperactivity", and "Inappropriate speech" respectively. In intra-rater reliability ICC (1.1), the ICCs of the PT were 0.720, 0.991, 0.996, 0.902, and 0.261 for each item, and those of the OT were 0.578, 0, 0.636, 0.288, and 1.[Conclusion] Some items had inter-rater reliability. In the intra-rater reliability, the score was 0.7 or more, excluding the item of Inappropriate speech for the PT and were 0.57 or more, excluding the items of Lethargy and Hyperactivity for the OT.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of mobility and daily activity, in the form of exercise and everyday activities, on the bones of 102 elderly female nursing home residents who had physical disabilities as well as marked postmenopausal bone loss, using calcaneal ultrasound apparatus for bone evaluation.Of the 102 subjects initially measured, 74 (mean age, 83.5H6.55 years; range, 64 99 years) could be measured again approximately one year later. The osteo sono-assessment index (OSI) in this study was determined using an ultrasound bone evaluation device. This device measures the speed of sound (SOS) and transmission index (TI) as ultrasound passes through the calcaneus. The OSI is calculated by computer analysis (OSI=TI`SOS 2 ). For mobility, the OSI decreased significantly by an average of 1.8% after 11.8 months in all of the residents who were using a wheelchair (n=41, p<0.01). In contrast, the OSI rose significantly by a mean of 1.9% in the ambulatory group (n=33, p<0.01).The OSI increased significantly in residents who exercised every day, were out of bed for at least seven hours per day, and walked on a regular basis, suggesting that exercise, mainly in the form of walking, may increase the calcaneal OSI.