Association Between Physical Performance and Sense of Autonomy in Outdoor Activities and Life-Space Mobility in Community-Dwelling Older People

• Autores: Erja Portegijs, Merja Rantakokko, Tuija M. Mikkola, Anne Viljanen, Taina Rantanen
• Localización: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, ISSN 0002-8614, Vol. 62, Nº. 4, 2014, págs. 615-621
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen

  • Objectives: To study the relationship between physical performance and sense of autonomy in outdoor activities with life-space mobility�the spatial area a person purposefully moves through in daily life�in community-dwelling older people.

    Design: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data of the Life-Space Mobility in Old Age cohort study.

    Setting: Structured interviews in participants' homes.

    Participants: Community-dwelling people aged 75 to 90 (N = 848).

    Measurements: Sense of autonomy outdoors (Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire subscale), life-space mobility (Life-Space Assessment; University of Alabama, Birmingham Study of Aging), and Short Physical Performance Battery.

    Results: The median score for life-space mobility was 64.0. In linear regression models, poorer physical performance and more-limited sense of autonomy were independently associated with more restrictions in life-space mobility, explaining approximately one-third of the variation in life-space mobility. Physical performance also had an indirect effect on life-space mobility through sense of autonomy outdoors. Subgroup analyses of 5-year age groups and sex revealed that the associations were somewhat stronger in women and the oldest age group.

    Conclusion: Physical performance and sense of autonomy in outdoor activities explained a substantial portion of the variation in life-space mobility in healthy older people, indicating that physical and psychosocial factors play a role in maintaining mobility in old age.