# Association between relative free-living sit-to-stand transition thigh angular velocities and difficulties in mobility and daily functioning

## TL;DR

Older adults who perform sit-to-stand transitions with high effort may have mobility and daily functioning difficulties.

## Contribution

Identifies a link between high-effort sit-to-stand movements and functional limitations in older adults.

## Key findings

- Participants with mobility difficulties performed sit-to-stand transitions at a higher proportion of their capacity.
- Higher relative STS thigh angular velocity was associated with walking and stair negotiation difficulties.
- The association with ADL/IADL difficulties weakened after adjustment.

## Abstract

Sit-to-stand (STS) transitions are common daily activities, and we postulate that completing them with high effort relative to one’s capacity may indicate functional difficulties in older age.

We examined the association between relative free-living STS thigh angular velocity and difficulties in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), as well as walking and negotiating stairs.

This cross-sectional study included 230 individuals (53% women) aged 79–89 years. STS capacity was assessed with an instrumented five-times STS test. Free-living STS transitions were monitored in 2-hour intervals over four days using an accelerometer. Associations were examined using Wilcoxon rank-sum test and logistic regression analyses.

In total, 47% had ADL/IADL difficulties, 26% reported walking difficulties, and 17% had difficulties negotiating stairs. Participants with any difficulties performed STS transitions at a higher proportion of their STS capacity compared to those without difficulties (p < 0.05). Higher relative free-living STS thigh angular velocity was associated with walking and stair negotiation difficulties in both crude (OR 1.23–1.53; p < 0.05) and adjusted models (OR 1.20–1.40; p < 0.05), while the association with ADL/IADL difficulties weakened after adjustment.

Our findings suggest that performing STS transitions at high intensity may reflect emerging mobility difficulties.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40520-026-03352-0.