The impact of mobility on quality of life among older persons.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the extent and manner in which mobility is related to quality of life (QOL) in a representative sample of older adults.

METHOD

Two models were assessed using structured equation modeling. The first hypothesized that mobility would have a direct effect on QOL along with other variables, including; number of health conditions and satisfaction with functional capacity, life essentials (e.g., transport, access to health services, and conditions of living space) and personal relationships. The second hypothesized that mobility would have its greatest influence on QOL through satisfaction with functional capacity.

RESULTS

While both models found that mobility and all three measures of life satisfaction were significantly associated with QOL, goodness of fit indices were higher for the second model.

DISCUSSION

The findings from this study suggest that mobility interventions designed to enhance QOL should address satisfaction with functional capacity as well.