Taylor RA, Bakitas M, Wells R, Dionne‐Odom JN, Kennedy R, Williams GR, Frank J, Li P. Restricted life-space mobility impacts physical but not mental quality of life in older cancer survivors.
Cancer Med 2023;
13:e6850. [PMID:
38140781 PMCID:
PMC10807608 DOI:
10.1002/cam4.6850]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Older cancer survivors often value quality of life (QOL) over survival. Life-space mobility (LSM), defined as the individual's spatial geographic mobility range, is an important QOL indicator in older adults with chronic illnesses; however, this relationship is unexplored in older cancer survivors.
METHODS
We examined the longitudinal associations and causal relationships between LSM and QOL in 153 older cancer survivors (≥65 years) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Study of Aging. LSM was assessed using the UAB Life-Space Assessment-Composite score (LSA-C), and QOL was assessed by the SF-12 Mental Component Score (MCS12) and Physical Component Score (PCS12) at 0 (study entry), 6, 18, 36, 54, and 72 months. We examined the causal relationship between LSM and QOL using a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM).
RESULTS
The cohort (n = 153) was 76 years old on average and predominantly White (58%), female (58%), and married (55%). Longitudinal analyses found LSM decreased over time (p < 0.0001), and this decrease was associated with decreased QOL (PCS12, p < 0.0001, MCS12, p < 0.0001). In the CLPM causal analysis, lower LSM resulted in worse PCS12 (p < 0.001), but not worse MSC12.
CONCLUSIONS
Restricted LSM resulted in worse physical QOL over 72 months in a sample of 153 older cancer survivors. Developing and evaluating interventions to preserve greater LSM could be a promising approach to improving QOL.
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