Functional independence in adults is conditioned by lower limb muscle strength. Thus, it seems important to assess lower limb strength using reliable and easy to reproduce measurements. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to collect studies that examined the test-retest reliability of the Five Times Sit to Stand Test (FTSST) in adults. The search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, including all studies published up to 28 December 2020. To be included, studies had to include relative reliability scores (ICC) and maximum torque or standard error of measurements (SEM) of FTSST. A total of 693 studies were initially identified, but only 8 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis, covering a total of 14 groups with 400 participants. Relative inter-rater reliability results (ICC = 0.937, p < 0.001, n = 400) revealed excellent reliability of FTSST to assess sitting and standing performance, lower limbs strength and balance control. Conclusion: The Five Times Sit to Stand Test is a highly reliable tool for assessing lower limbs strength, balance control, and mobility in both healthy adults and those with pathologies.

Background: Elderly caregivers present increased physical and mental health problems. These factors can lead to a lack of autonomy and a need for social support. This study aims to analyse the relationships between perceived social support and mental health status in elderly caregivers aged 65 and older. Methods: a cross-sectional study based on data from the Spanish National Health Survey (ENSE-17) carried out on 7023 people. The study population was restricted to 431 caregivers aged ≥65 years. A study of the correlation between the mental health state and the perceived social support was carried out. Both variables were related to the sex of the caregiver. Results: Perceived social support by older caregivers is significantly related to mental health (p = 0.001), and stress (p < 0.001). Also, there is a significant relationship between perceived social support and mental well-being (p = 0.001), self-esteem (p = 0.005) and stress (p = 0.001) in older women caregivers. Conclusions: Older caregivers have adequate mental well-being and perceive high social support. Perceived social support can contribute to improving the mental well-being of older caregivers.

Measuring muscle strength using isokinetic dynamometry allows evaluating and comparing normal and sick children, establishing recovery and rehabilitation goals, and quantitatively monitoring the course of a disease and the response to treatment. The purpose of this study was to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on studies that examined the test-retest reliability of isokinetic knee strength measurements in children. This study is important because isokinetic dynamometry is the gold standard for evaluating muscle strength and it allows comparing muscle performance in children. The databases used were PubMed, Web of Science Scopus, and Embase (up to July 26, 2019). Only studies published in English were included in this review. All studies focused on the reliability of isokinetic knees in healthy children or those with cerebral palsy applied to dynamic contractions (concentric or eccentric) and provided measures of strength, reproducibility, ICC, peak torque, or SEM. We found a total of 143 abstracts and examined 94 articles to determine if they met the inclusion criteria. Finally, 10 articles were included in the systematic review and five studies (96 subjects) formed the meta-analysis sample, all of which focused on the reliability of isokinetic knees in the concentric mode. The CAT and QAREL scales were used to assess the quality of the included studies. The meta-analysis revealed high intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) (0.84; p < 0.001; n = 96 subjects) in the flexion and excellent intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC 0.90; p < 0.001; n = 96 subjects) in the extension. Isokinetic dynamometry could be indicated as a method for measuring muscle strength training in children. However, the reviewed studies suggest some methodological issues in isokinetic tests, such as the rest days between testing and retesting, using the same speeds, protocols, and evaluators, and the performance of the subjects, so more research is required.

Background and objectives: Childhood obesity is one of the main public health issues facing advanced societies. The Spanish population presents 28.6% overweight or obese adolescents, and Extremadura, 22.3%. Physical fitness is considered one of the most important health markers and a common predictor of morbidity and mortality caused by cardiovascular diseases. Thus, fitness tests are needed for health monitoring, especially in overweight and obese adolescents. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between body composition and physical fitness in adolescents and to analyse if there are differences in physical condition and body composition between the sexes, as well as to compare the different body mass index (BMI) categories to each other. This project also tried to find regression equations to predict the physical fitness test results. Materials and Methods: A total of 225 adolescents were recruited. Weight status was classified according to WHO 2007 standards. Body composition variables (i.e., BMI, fat mass (FM), FM percentage (FM%), and fat-free mass (FFM)) and physical fitness (standing long jump (SLJ), speed–agility (SA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CF), and handgrip strength (HS)) were assessed. Results: Significant differences were found between the sexes in body composition (FM%, FM, and FFM) and physical fitness (SLJ, SA, CF, and HS) (p < 0.001) in favour of males. Significant differences were also found in speed (p = 0.002), CF (p < 0.001), and SLJ (p = 0.004) in favour of normal-weight adolescents compared to overweight and obese adolescents. Contrarily, the outcomes revealed a significantly greater HS (p = 0.014) in favour of overweight and obese participants compared to normal-weight adolescents. Moreover, the results showed that CF and SLJ correlated inversely with BMI, FM%, and total FM. There was also a direct relationship between SA and FM percentage, as well as between HS and FFM. Finally, four fitness test predictive models are proposed based on body composition, age, sex, and BMI. Conclusions: Overweight and obese adolescents have lower levels of physical fitness than their normal-weight peers, regardless of their sex. Normal-ranged body composition values are related to a greater physical fitness in adolescents. Furthermore, this study presents several equations that can help to predict the performance of different fitness tests in adolescents.