Developing Patient-Centered Preventative Care to Reduce Mobility Disability With Aging: Preferences From a Discrete...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Physical Therapy
• Preventative Health

Background:

• Mobility disability is a primary concern for older adults in the U.S.
• A novel patient-centered physical therapy mobility checkup (MC) is under development.
• This MC aims to provide physical performance testing and education on modifiable health indicators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine older adults' willingness to participate in a mobility checkup (MC).
• To identify the preferred age for initiating preventative mobility care.
• To ascertain desired participation frequency and preferred MC attributes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving adults over 55 years old at the Minnesota State Fair.
• Surveys on preventative health practices and a discrete choice experiment (DCE) were administered.
• DCE attributes included visit duration, content, education, and outcomes; conjoint choice modeling analyzed preferences.

Main Results:

• 78% of older adults expressed willingness to participate in an MC.
• 66% preferred initiating MCs before age 60, with 68% favoring annual checkups.
• A 30-minute visit duration (84% importance) and balance assessment (12% importance) were highly preferred MC attributes.

Conclusions:

• Older adults recognize the value of preventative care for mitigating mobility disability.
• Time efficiency and balance assessment are key priorities for preventative physical therapy mobility checkups.
• The findings support the development of patient-centered MCs tailored to older adults' preferences.