A test developed by Dr. Claudio Gil Araujo of Rio de Janeiro’s Gama Filho (Gamma Son) University claims to indicate a person’s likelihood of dying within the next six years. The test involves what Dr. Araujo claims is a simple motion to go from a standing position to a floor sitting motion and rising up again to a standing position. Doing the motion without the aid of hands, knees, the sides of the legs or feet earn a score of 10.
Points are deducted for losing balance, using forearms, hands, knees, etc. Some items are deducted in half-point increments and others are full-point deductions. A score of 8 to 10 is considered excellent and indicates the lowest likelihood of dying in the next 6 years. A score between 3 and 7.5 is considered “good” with scores below 3 being poor.
Dr. Araujo found that for every point decrease, the person has a 21% more likelihood of dying in the next six years. The statistics come from a study of over 2,000 people at a local clinic in Brazil.
The test, known as the sitting-rising-test (SRT), does involve all of the muscle groups to indicate the health of the musculoskeletal system. However, a British physician stated that there is a cultural element to it. Brazilians routinely sit on the ground and develop their muscles to that task. Westerners can conduct a similar test involving repeatedly sitting and rising from a chair over a 30 second period. Care must be taken when peforming the SRT to avoid injuring arthritic joints.