The association between objectively measured physical activity and life‐space mobility among older people

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between objectively measured physical activity and life-space mobility in community-dwelling older people. Life-space refers to the spatial area a person purposefully moves through in daily life (bedroom, home, yard, neighborhood, town, and beyond) and life-space mobility to the frequency of travel and the help needed when moving through different life-space areas. The study population comprised community-living 75- to 90-year-old people {n = 174; median age 79.7 [interquartile range (IQR) 7.1]}, participating in the accelerometer substudy of Life-Space Mobility in Old Age (LISPE) project. Step counts and activity time were measured by an accelerometer (Hookie "AM20 Activity Meter") for 7 days. Life-space mobility was assessed with Life-Space Assessment (LSA) questionnaire. Altogether, 16% had a life-space area restricted to the neighborhood when moving independently. Participants with a restricted life space were less physically active and about 70% of them had exceptionally low values in daily step counts (≤ 615 steps) and moderate activity time (≤ 6.8 min). Higher step counts and activity time correlated positively with life-space mobility. Prospective studies are needed to clarify the temporal order of low physical activity level and restriction in life-space mobility.

Personal goals and changes in life-space mobility among older people

“…This may have important health benefits, as leaving the home is the single most important factor for increasing physical activity among older people [27]. In particular, goals related to being active, exercising, and maintaining functioning may benefit the quality of life of older people by enabling them to maintain a wider life-space [9,10].…”

“…In particular, goals related to being active, exercising, and maintaining functioning may benefit the quality of life of older people by enabling them to maintain a wider life-space [9,10]. On the contrary, lack of interest in moving outside the home may result in some older people spending time mainly at home [4], inevitably leading to sedentary behavior [27].…”

Concurrent validity of the Swedish version of the life-space assessment questionnaire

“…The questionnaire has previously been translated, e.g. into French-Canadian [14], Finnish [17, 18], Japanese [19], Spanish [20, 21], and Portuguese versions [20]. …”

Adaptação transcultural para o português brasileiro do instrumento \"The University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment\" para avaliação da mobilidade de idosos

“…Estudos demonstraram que o LSA é sensível a mudanças na mobilidade e no estado de saúde de idosos da comunidade, tendo sido avaliada sua reprodutibilidade e associação com medidas tradicionais da função. 3,4 O LSA tem sido amplamente estudado em diversas populações e cenários [12][13][14] e tem sido demonstrada sua relação com estado cognitivo, 14,15 humor, 4 renda, 3 acesso a transporte 3 e níveis de atividade física, 13 o que evidencia a versatilidade e amplas possibilidades de uso do instrumento.…”