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Updated: May 7, 2026
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
Sensorimotor and psychosocial determinants of 3-year incident mobility disability in middle-aged and older adults
Nandini Deshpande1, Jeffrey E Metter, Jack Guralnik
1School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Objective:
to identify sensorimotor and psychosocial determinants of 3-year incident mobility disability.
Design:
prospective.
Setting:
population-based sample of community-dwelling older persons.
Participants:
community-living middle-aged and older persons (age: 50-85 years) without baseline mobility disability (n = 622).
Measurements:
mobility disability, defined as self-reported inability to walk a quarter mile without resting or inability to walk up a flight of stairs unsupported, was ascertained at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Potential baseline determinant characteristics included demographics, education, social support, financial condition, knee extensor strength, visual contrast sensitivity, cognition, depression, presence of chronic conditions and history of falls.
Results:
a total of 13.5% participant reported 3-year incident mobility disability. Age ≥75 years, female sex, knee extensor strength in the lowest quartile, visual contrast sensitivity <1.7 on the Pelli-Robson chart or significant depressive symptoms (CESD score >16) were independent determinants of 3-year incident mobility disability (ORs 1.84-16.51).
Conclusions:
low visual contrast sensitivity, poor knee extensor strength and significant depressive symptoms are independent determinants of future onset of mobility disability.
