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Acing a simple one-leg test could cut your risk of dying in half: study

Nypost · · 863 words · By McKenzie Beard
Preventative Healthcare for Seniors Longevity and Physical Fitness
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What to know about Preventative Healthcare for Seniors

Acing a simple one-leg test could cut your risk of dying in half: study See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 2
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Acing a simple one-leg test could cut your risk of dying in half: study See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google Seniors, listen up.

Common ground

A new study suggests that how well you perform on a simple balance test could offer clues about how well you’re aging — and even your chances of making it through the next seven years.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/health/acing-a-one-leg-test-could-cut-your-risk-of…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
cancel Disputed 1
help
Claim 1: “In the US, more than one in four adults ages 65 and older falls each year, making it the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
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Claim 2: “Those who scored highest [on the 8-foot up-and-go test] had a 59% lower mortality risk than those who scored lowest.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources explicitly state that the best performers on the 8-foot up-and-go test had a 59% lower mortality risk than the worst performers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — High may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Can…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-A
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — High Potential is an American crime comedy drama television series created by Drew Goddard for ABC. It is based on the 2021 Franco-Belgian television series HPI. The series stars Kaitlin Olson as Morg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Potential
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “Once again, the difference was significant, with better scores [on the two-minute step test] associated with a 58% lower mortality risk.”
DISPUTED
There is a contradiction in the reported percentage for the two-minute step test. One source reports a 58% lower mortality risk, while another reports a 42% lower mortality risk.
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web search NEUTRAL — For this, the participants completed a two-minute step test, repeatedly lifting their knees to a set height. Their score was based on the number of steps they completed. Once again, the difference was…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/health/acing-a-one-leg-test-co…
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web search NEUTRAL — 42% lower mortality risk on the 2-minute step test. The researchers also created a composite fitness score incorporating all seven assessments. The highest-performing group had a 61% lower risk of dea…
https://health.yahoo.com/wellness/healthy-aging/articles/2-f…
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web search NEUTRAL — Heart and lung endurance was measured using a two-minute step test, where participants repeatedly lifted their knees to a set height. Better scores on this cardiovascular endurance test correlated wit…
https://www.newsy-today.com/one-leg-balance-test-simple-tric…
verified
Claim 4: “The researchers then followed the participants for an average of seven years. During that time, 1,631 people — about 12% of the group — died.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results about a Roblox game ('An Average Campaign') and general Wikipedia definitions of 'inch' and 'killed in action'. No evidence regarding the study's follow-up period or death count was found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IN, In or in may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British Imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to ⁠1/36⁠ yard or ⁠1/12⁠ of a foot. Derived from the Roman un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “The top scorers [on the one-leg balance test] had about half the mortality risk of those at the bottom.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that top scorers on the one-leg balance test (standing for up to 30 seconds) had about half the mortality risk of those at the bottom.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 30 by 30 (or 30 × 30) is a global initiative for governments to designate 30% of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030. The target was proposed by a 2019 article in Science Advances, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_by_30
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Forbes 30 Under 30 is a set of lists published annually by Forbes magazine since 2011 that recognizes 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. The American list consists of 600 peop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes_30_Under_30
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 30 for 30 is an ESPN documentary film series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_30_for_30_films
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “When researchers compared the participants’ scores, they found that the fittest participants were about half as likely to die during the follow-up period as those who performed worst, even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, body weight and preexisting conditions.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that the fittest participants had a mortality risk roughly half that of the lowest performers, and that the researchers adjusted for age, sex, body weight, and preexisting conditions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Older adults with higher fitness scores across multiple physical tests had substantially lower risk of dying over a seven-year period. Balance and agility tests, particularly the one-leg stance and a …
https://studyfinds.com/balance-agility-test-predict-dying-ri…
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web search NEUTRAL — When researchers compared the scores, the fittest participants demonstrated a mortality risk roughly half that of the lowest performers. This calculation factored in adjustments for age, sex, body wei…
https://www.newsy-today.com/one-leg-balance-test-simple-tric…
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web search NEUTRAL — The disease helped cause both the poor balance and the higher mortality risk. The researchers adjusted for substantial medical and demographic information, which strengthens the association. But adjus…
https://sherafy.com/standing-on-one-leg-longevity-jama-study…
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Claim 7: “When the researchers combined the scores from all the fitness tests, the participants in the top 20% of performers had about a 61% lower mortality risk than those in the bottom 20%.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that combining all fitness tests showed that the top 20% (or highest fifth) of performers had approximately a 61% lower mortality risk than the bottom 20% (or lowest fifth).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Compared with participants in the lowest-performing 20%, those in the highest-performing group on the 8-foot up-and-go test had a 59% lower risk of death. The test requires participants to rise from a…
https://www.nycu.edu.tw/nycu/en/app/news/view?module=headnew…
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web search NEUTRAL — When the researchers combined the scores from all the fitness tests, the participants in the top 20% of performers had about a 61% lower mortality risk than those in the bottom 20%.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/health/acing-a-one-leg-test-co…
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web search NEUTRAL — The study also found that combining all seven fitness measures provided an even stronger association with mortality. Participants in the highest fifth of overall fitness had approximately 61% lower mo…
https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/the-30-second-bala…
help
Claim 8: “Among men, balance and agility showed the strongest association with lower mortality, followed by heart and lung fitness. Among women, lower-body strength appeared to matter about as much as balance and agility.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
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Claim 9: “Those who managed the most chair stands had a 45% lower mortality risk than those who were able to do the fewest.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm that those who performed the most chair stands in 30 seconds had a 45% lower mortality risk than those who did the fewest.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest Asia (ESCA) is an upcoming international song competition modelled after the Eurovision Song Contest, where broadcasters from the Asia-Pacific region will compete represent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_Asia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Paris Peace Conference gathered over 30 nations at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, France, to shape the future after World War I. The Russian SFSR was not invited to attend, having already concluded a …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_participants_in_the_Pa…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Spaceflight participant (Russian: участник космического полета, romanized: uchastnik kosmicheskogo polyota) is the term used by NASA, Roscosmos, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for peopl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight_participant
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 10: “The study involved more than 13,000 community-dwelling adults ages 65 and older in Taiwan, about 62.5% of whom were women.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic search results for 'study.com', 'Quizlet', and general Wikipedia entries about Taiwan. No specific evidence regarding the study's participant count (13,000) or gender distribution (62.5%) was found in the provided text.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The history of the island of Taiwan dates back tens of thousands of years to the earliest known evidence of human habitation. The sudden appearance of a culture based on agriculture around 3000 BC is …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Taiwan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taiwanese may refer to: of or related to Taiwan Culture of Taiwan Geography of Taiwan Taiwanese cuisine Languages of Taiwan Formosan languages Taiwanese Hokkien, also known as the Taiwanese language …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.