Characterizing mobility limitations in community-dwelling older adults

Physical mobility is one of the most important contributors to well-being and health-related quality of life as we age. However, the trajectory of mobility impairment in older adults is complex, influenced by factors belonging to biological, cognitive, behavioral, psychosocial and environmental systems. As such, a keen understanding of how these systems are related will be required in order to design effective, multi-factorial interventions to preserve physical mobility into old age. Our primary goal is to evaluate the physical mobility measures collected by the CLSA, specifically, their psychometric properties and ability to predict variables directly related to mobility impairment. We will also asses how these measures are related to other systems, and use this information to guide a parallel qualitative study regarding the perceptions of physical mobility in older adults.

Mobility is one of the most important contributors to well-being and health-related quality of life as we age. It is critical to remain socially engaged, reduce the risk of mental and physical deficits, and prevent institutionalization. This study used the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to determine which factors had the greatest impact on the mobility of older Canadians. It showed that a multi-disciplinary approach to examining mobility in older adults is needed to optimize opportunities for healthy aging and develop strategies that support mobility in older adulthood. More specifically, it identified a number of individual factors, such as strength, diet, body composition, mental wellbeing, and social support, many of which are modifiable and may improve older adult mobility in both a physical and social context.