Role of sit-to-stand muscle power in healthy ageing: assessing validity, clinical relevance, decline and interventions in older adults with and without chronic conditions (PhD Academy Award)

This PhD thesis aimed: (i) to assess the validity of the sit-to-stand (STS) muscle power test and compare it with other equations available in the literature; (ii) to investigate the functional implications of having low relative STS power (ie, normalised by body mass) in older individuals with and without Parkinson’s disease (PD); (iii) to assess longitudinal changes in relative STS power and its contributing factors, providing clinically relevant cut-off points for low relative STS power; and (iv) to evaluate the short-term and residual effects of power-oriented resistance training (RT) combined with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in frail older adults and in those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).