A new technique - Senior System for Action Autonomy Evaluation (SysSen) - used to evaluate elderly, and the strategies of its validation is described. The SysSen is composed by a questionnaire (Senior Questionnaire of Physical Activities - QSAP) and a field test (Senior 'Walking and Carrying' Test - TSMP). The QSAP is a four-part interview, assessing the necessities for an autonomous life related to upper body strength (FO) and cardiorespiratory capacity (PA). The first one considers home, professional, and free time activities. The second observes the environmental context. The third assesses the difficulties to perform day-to-day activities and the feelings of the subjects towards activities they would like to perform/resume. The last part considers the interviewer's point of view on the assessed information. An index for QSAP overall results is obtained (Expressed Autonomy Index - IAE). In the TSMP, subjects walk 800 m the faster they can, carrying weights according to sex. An index for the physical functional potential for activities that depend on FO and PA is calculated (Potential Autonomy Index - IAP). Both indexes are used to determine a ratio between potential and expressed autonomy (IAP/IAE) - the Senior Index for Action Autonomy (ISAC). The SysSen validity was verified by comparing its partial and final results with other evaluation techniques, and by the internal and structural consistence of the indices obtained (construct, content, and external validity). Intra-class reliability was determined by test-retest. The stability of IAE and IAP equations was tested by cross validation. Results show that the instrument is valid, and that its equations are stable. Comparison to other evaluation techniques reveals that SysSen can be useful in the study of elderly functional autonomy in a positive perspective.
Aging; Evaluation; Autonomy; Physical fitness; Questionnaire; Test
