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Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) among normal 3-5 years old preschool children in Hong Kong. Methods:Cross-sectional design was applied to this study. Sixty (30 female, 30 male) preschool children aged from 3 to 5 years old (mean age=4.22 ± 0.85) from local normal preschool was recruited using convenient sampling to perform three dynamic balance tests: Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and the Pediatric Balance Scale Test (PBS). A simple self-administrative questionnaire survey was also conducted with their parents.Results: Positive correlation (r=0.74, p<0.05) was found between TUG results obtained at two time points when assessing the test-retest reliability. Moderated negative correlations were found between TUG and SEBT or PBS, which indicated children with longer reaching distance or higher PBS score tend to use shorter time to complete TUG. Conclusion:TUG was a valid and reliable tool for assessing dynamic balance of preschool children aged between 3 and 5 years old. This can also be used for screening or early detection of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) for children aged 6 years old or younger.

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Reviews on the relationships between functional health and physical activity of general older adults have been well documented in literature. However, specific age range of older adults, in particular, older adults of 75 years or above, is currently under-examined. A systematic review was conducted to investigate the effects of physical activity on functional health older adults aged 75 years or above. The reviewed articles cover a variety range of functional health outcomes, including balance, muscle conditioning, joint range of motion, quadriceps strength, reaction time, gait speed, health-related quality of life, back and knee pain, muscle mass, and walking ability. In general, interventions of the reviewed articles had favorable effects on function health of older adults. While physical activity has been identified as an important determinant of functional health, the ways to engage in and accumulate sufficient daily physical activity warrant investigation. It is also important to explore interventions which enhance daily, self-driven physical activity of elderly, as normally supervised physical activity bears higher costs.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability and the criterion validity of a curlup test (CUT) as a measure of core stability, core endurance and dynamic stability in kindergarten children. CUT performance was also compared to half hold lying test (HHLT) and walking time on course (WTC) among without obstacle, with low obstacle and high obstacle measures of core stability, core endurance and dynamic stability. Methods:To estimate reliability, 33 males and 27 female kindergarten children (M aged=4.5 years old) performed the CUT on 2 different days. In the validity phase of the study, scores of all participants were obtained on three field test measures of core stability, core endurance and dynamic stability (CUT, HHLT and WTC). Results:Results indicate that the MCU test has no significant correlation on intra-class test-retest reliability (R=0.13, p>0.01). The criterion validity of the CUT for kindergarten children has is comparable to that of the HHLT(r=0.98, p<0.01) and WTC without obstacle(r=0.96, p<0.01), with low obstacle (r=0.96, p<0.01) and with high obstacle (r=0.98, p<0.01). Result indicates that the CUT test cannot produces reasonably accurate and stable measures of core stability, core endurance and dynamic stability. Conclusion:These preliminary findings provide evidences into the CUT test cannot produces reasonably accurate and stable measures of core stability, core endurance and dynamic stability for kindergarten children.