Functional Performance and Self-Perceived Health in Older Women: Development of an Integrated Functional Performance Index

Background Functional performance is a key determinant of health during aging; however, its relationship with self-perceived health is not always considered. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between widely used functional performance tests and self-perceived health status, and to developed an Integrated Functional Performance Index (IFPI) in community-dwelling older women, following STROBE guidelines. Methods A total of two hundred and seventeen older women (70.98 ± 6.07 years) were assessed using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire and a battery of functional tests, including the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test (5STS), Six-Meter Walking Test (6WS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), Handgrip Strength (HGS), and Two-Minute Step Test (2MST). The IFPI was constructed by normalizing and weighting results considering the SF-36 component(s) (Physical Component Summary, PCS; and/or Mental Component Summary, MCS) that showed significance correlations with all functional performance tests. Associations between were examined using Pearson (r) or Spearman (ρ) correlation coefficients, with statistical significance set at p  < 0.05. Results PCS scores (43.70 ± 8.27) showed consistent and statistically significant absolute correlations with all functional test results (5STS: ρ = -0.25, p  < 0.001; 6WS: r = 0.26, p  < 0.001; TUG: ρ = -0.25, p  < 0.001; HGS: r = 0.19, p  < 0.01; and 2MST: ρ = 0.36, p  < 0.001). In contrast, the MCS scores (50.70 ± 10.65) showed significant absolute correlations only with 5STS (ρ = -0.25, p  < 0.001), 6WS (r = 0.15, p  < 0.05), and 2MST (ρ = 0.26, p  < 0.001). Based on these relationships, the IFPI was constructed by normalizing functional test results and weighting them according to their associations with PCS, resulting in index values ranging from 13.91 to 113.39 a.u. Conclusions In conclusion, the IFPI provides a multidimensional assessment of functional performance by integrating objective physical tests with older women’s perceptions of physical health. This approach may offer a more sensitive tool for functional assessment, warranting further investigation in health screening and exercise programs.