Abstract
Functional fitness and appropriate level of motor performance is a major determinant of quality of life and one of the key predictors of many health outcomes in later life. The purpose of the study was to measure individual performances in different motor abilities in elderly women and compare their average value of achieved performance with existing norms from different age category point of view. From the Senior Fitness Test battery (Rikli, & Jones, 2001) that consists of six performance-based tasks validate to measure functional fitness components we picked up 3 of them (back scratch test, 8-foot up-and-go test and chair stand test). For further measurements we chose 3 additional tests like modified sit and reach test, test of lateral spine flexion and one leg stand test. 129 elderly women in age from 60 to 89 years participated in our research. We divided respondents into five age categories where we provided comparison of average value of achieved motor performance in selected tests with existing norms.Women of all examined age categories (60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79 and 80-89 years) achieved average level of motor abilities in all measured test except in chair stand test, where three age categories of Slovak elderly women (60-64, 65-69 and 70-74 years) showed even above-average level of lower limbs strength. In all tested motor abilities active elderly women presented higher level of motor performance comparing sedentary elderly women. On the basis of our results we can confirm, that Slovak elderly women have an appropriate level of their motor performance, where better results were found in-group of active elderly women. By providing different tests we are not recommending one leg stand test for elderly who are older than 85 years of age.