Physical activity and related characteristics in assisted living residents with different levels of mobility: a...

Physical activity has major health implications for older adults, but those with mobility disabilities are often excluded from physical activity research. The aims of this study were to 1) describe and compare physical activity and health-related characteristics of older adults in assisted living who primarily ambulate with those who primarily use a wheelchair or scooter and 2) examine correlations between physical activity and health-related characteristics in the same groups.

This study used a descriptive, cross-sectional comparative analysis design. Thirty-five participants were recruited; they wore an accelerometer to measure physical activity and sleep and completed physical function assessments and health-related surveys. We used t-tests to compare mobility-status groups and Spearman's correlations to examine relationships between physical activity and health variables. We report correlations >0.30 as potentially meaningful relationships.

Sixty-one percent of participants primarily ambulated, while 39% used wheelchairs or scooters. Ambulatory assisted living residents had worse sleep quality, while the seated mobility group had worse lower body and self-reported physical function. Ambulatory participants' physical activity was negatively correlated with sleep onset latency (r= -0.30) and wake after sleep onset (r= -0.38) and positively correlated with mental health (r = 0.42). Seated mobility participants' physical activity was positively correlated with total Short Physical Performance Battery score (r = 0.48) and balance (r = 0.46).

These findings underscore the interplay between mobility status, physical activity, sleep, and function, suggesting tailored interventions are needed to enhance the health of older adults in assisted living with different levels of mobility.