Key numbers
4,282
Adults aged 46 to 75 followed
12.3 years
Median follow-up
3.84
Natural-cause mortality, SRT 0 to 4 vs 10, adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI 2.25 to 6.97)
Who was studied and what was measured
Araújo and colleagues (2025) studied Sitting-Rising Test scores and deaths from natural and cardiovascular causes in a prospective cohort of middle-aged and older men and women, aged 46–75 in the mortality analysis.
The test does not single out one muscle or joint. It captures the combined physical capacity needed to move between the floor and standing with as little outside support as possible.
What the study found
The cohort was 4,282 adults aged 46 to 75 (68% men), followed for a median of 12.3 years, with 665 deaths from natural causes. For the original Sitting-Rising Test, a score of 0 to 4 versus a perfect 10 gave multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of 3.84 (95% CI 2.25 to 6.97) for natural-cause mortality and 6.05 (95% CI 2.29 to 20.94) for cardiovascular mortality.
Because the study used the Sitting-Rising Test itself, it is direct outcome evidence for the published test. It did not validate Systematic's separately tested left- and right-foot-forward extension.
What it does not show
The finding is an association across the people studied, not proof that a low score causes anything. It is not an individual mortality prediction, and it does not validate Systematic's added two-sided version of the test as a predictor of mortality.
The evidence
Each cited source is labeled according to how it supports the particular claim on this page. Direct test evidence, underlying-capacity findings and population reference values are distinguished from Systematic-defined protocols and standards. Historical development notes are retained internally rather than presented as public evidence. A study of an underlying capacity is never presented as validation of the Systematic test itself.
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Direct test evidence
Araújo et al. (2026; published online 2025). Sitting–rising test scores predict natural and cardiovascular causes of deaths in middle-aged and older men and women. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
What it found. In 4,282 adults aged 46 to 75 followed for a median 12.3 years, an SRT score of 0 to 4 versus 10 had adjusted hazard ratios of 3.84 for natural-cause and 6.05 for cardiovascular mortality.
What it does not show. It does not predict an individual's lifespan or risk, does not show cause, and did not study Systematic's added two-sided version of the test.
The Systematic Healthspan Assessment is a physical baseline. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not estimate a biological age, a disease risk or a lifespan.