Development and validation of a composite measure of physical function using a battery of performance-based measures: A longitudinal analyses of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Project Summary

Low muscle strength and physical performance are powerful predictors of future health outcomes including disability, loss of independence, and death. Traditionally, low strength or loss of physical performance are identified when measures at one point in time drop below pre-determined cut-offs. However, these cut-offs ignore the impact of important factors such as age and height on function and may not be accurate. They also do not consider that changes in strength and performance may be more important than overall strength and performance, or that performance on multiple measures are better predictors of future outcomes than performance on a single measure. This study aims to remedy these limitations by developing a more personalized and robust approach to identify people with low strength and physical performance.