The scores of the ten questions are summed to obtain a total score that ranges from 0 to 100 (100 = high level of physical capability or "best" score).
Most studies were of older populations with a median age at the time of physical capability assessment of 69 years (range 18 to 79 years, Table S1).
Eligible study populations were community-dwelling adults aged 18 y or over at the time of physical capability measurement (full review protocol at www.halcyon.ac.uk).ac.uk
There were differences between studies in the protocols followed for assessment of physical capability which could have contributed to the heterogeneity observed.
These standard analyses involved testing the associations between each individual measure of childhood SEP and each measure of physical capability available, using sex-specific regression analyses.
Maintenance of physical capability, that is an individual's ability to undertake the physical tasks of everyday living, is essential in older age.
Grip strength, walking speed, chair rising and standing balance time are objective measures of physical capability that characterise current health and predict survival in older populations.
This takes into account variation in the distribution, in particular the SD, of physical capability outcomes between studies and between sexes within studies.
Socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood may influence the peak level of physical capability achieved in early adulthood, thereby affecting levels in later adulthood.
Two main strengths of this systematic review are the inclusion of several objective measures of physical capability and the wide range of different studies.
Childhood SEP, through its association with a range of factors, including growth and early life nutrition, may influence the peak level of physical capability attained in early adulthood, thereby affecting levels later in life [14].
