Shumway-Cook A, Patla A, Stewart A, Ferrucci L, Ciol MA, Guralnik JM. Environmental components of mobility disability in community-living older persons.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2003;
51:393-8. [PMID:
12588584 DOI:
10.1046/j.1532-5415.2003.51114.x]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To examine the relationship between characteristics of the physical environment and mobility disability in community-living older persons.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional study conducted on three groups of community-dwelling older adults.
SETTING
Community-dwelling older people in Seattle, Washington, and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
PARTICIPANTS
Fifty-four older adults (> or =70) were recruited from two geographic sites and grouped according to level of physical function (elite, physically able, physically disabled).
MEASUREMENT
Subjects reported on frequency of encounter versus avoidance of 24 features of the physical environment, grouped into eight dimensions, using a five-point ordinal scale (never, rarely, sometimes, often, always). Never and rarely responses were combined and coded as not encountered or not avoided, whereas the sometimes, often or always responses were combined and coded as encountered or avoided.
RESULTS
Disabled older adults reported fewer encounters with and concomitantly greater avoidance of physical challenges to mobility than nondisabled older adults. However, both encounter and avoidance varied by environmental dimension.
CONCLUSION
Results support the hypothesis that mobility disability results from an interaction of individual and environmental factors. Mobility disability is associated with avoidance of some, but not all, physically challenging features within the environment, suggesting that some environmental features may disable community mobility more than others.
Collapse