Mobility Difficulties, Physical Activity, and All-cause Mortality Risk in a Nationally representative Sample of Older Adults

Abstract Background This study sought to determine the association between levels of physical activity and mobility difficulties and time to death while accounting for the effect of several confounders. We also examined the possible interaction between them and how various daily-life mobility diffic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2018-08, Vol.73 (9), p.1272-1279
Main Authors: Olaya, Beatriz, Moneta, Maria Victoria, Doménech-Abella, Joan, Miret, Marta, Bayes, Ivet, Ayuso-Mateos, José Luis, Haro, Josep Maria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Death & dying
Exercise
Female
Geriatric Assessment - methods
Geriatric Assessment - statistics & numerical data
Health Status Disparities
Humans
Independent Living - statistics & numerical data
Male
Middle Aged
Mobility
Mobility Limitation
Mortality
Physical activity
Physical fitness
Risk Assessment - methods
Risk Assessment - statistics & numerical data
Risk Factors
Spain - epidemiology
Survival Analysis
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Background This study sought to determine the association between levels of physical activity and mobility difficulties and time to death while accounting for the effect of several confounders. We also examined the possible interaction between them and how various daily-life mobility difficulties could predict all-cause mortality. Methods A nationally representative sample of 2,074 noninstitutionalized adults aged 60 years and older was analyzed. Vital status over a 3-year follow-up period was ascertained through national registers or by asking participants’ relatives. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were stratified by levels of physical activity and mobility difficulties. Unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models (by age, gender, marital status, years of education, multimorbidity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, depression, and memory function) were calculated, and interactions between the predictors and the covariates were explored. Results There was a dose–gradient effect of physical activity on time to death, with high levels associated with a 51% lower risk of dying, compared with moderate physical activity. Each unit increase in mobility functioning was associated with a 2% drop in mortality. Difficulties in standing for long periods, getting where one wants to go or extending arms to reach objects, were also found to be strong predictors of all-cause mortality. Conclusions Our results confirm the importance of older adults practicing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The assessment of self-reported difficulties in daily-life mobility activities, such as standing for long periods or not being able to move around, could be used in health settings as a screening for mortality risk.
ISSN:1079-5006
1758-535X
DOI:10.1093/gerona/glx121