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Association between visual attention and mobility in older adults
Cynthia Owsley1, Gerald McGwin
1Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Univerity of Alabama at Birmingham, 700 S 18th Street, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. owsley@uab.edu
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|October 28, 2004
Summary
Visual attention and processing speed are linked to mobility issues in older adults. Interventions should address these visual processing deficits to improve mobility.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Mobility is crucial for independence in older adults.
- Age-related declines in visual attention and processing speed are common.
- The relationship between visual processing and objective mobility measures requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between visual attention/processing speed and mobility in older adults.
- To determine if visual attention/processing speed predicts objective mobility performance.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 342 community-dwelling older adults (aged 55-85).
- Collected data included visual attention/processing speed tests, a performance mobility assessment, and self-reported measures.
- Adjusted for demographic, health, cognitive, and visual acuity factors.
Main Results:
- Lower visual attention/processing speed scores were significantly associated with poorer performance mobility assessment scores (P=.04).
- This association remained significant after adjusting for multiple confounding variables.
- Visual attention/processing speed was not related to self-reported mobility measures.
Conclusions:
- Impaired visual attention and slowed processing speed are independently associated with mobility problems in older adults.
- These findings suggest that visual processing deficits contribute to mobility dysfunction.
- Interventions targeting visual processing may help mitigate mobility decline in aging populations.