Yaw Xin Er, Teh Pei Lee, Lim Weng Marc, Lee Shaun Wen Huey
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 4;20(6):e0325064. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325064. eCollection 2025.
The global population is projected to double by 2050 with most older adults expressing preference to age in place. Despite this demographic shift, indoor mobility challenges which directly impact independence, safety and quality of life remains poorly understudied, creating a critical knowledge gap for effective intervention development.
A systematic literature search was conducted on four databases from inception to September 2024. Inclusion criteria included: (1) participants aged 60 years and above; (2) were primary data on self-reported indoor mobility challenges; and (3) published in English language. Two reviewers independently performed data abstraction, evaluated the risk-of-bias and quality of included article using the NewCastle Ottawa Scale for cross-sectional or Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist for qualitative studies. Thematic synthesis with constant comparison analysis identified key mobility constraint factors.
Nine studies encompassing 1,833 participants were identified. Older adults reported four main indoor mobility challenges: fatigability, poor balance, home environmental barriers, reduced strength and limb weakness. These limitations contributed to reduced endurance, even in indoor settings. The presence of various health conditions further compromised their mobility and ability to age in place healthily.
To support ageing in place, a comprehensive environmental assessments and home modifications can be considered. Multi-stakeholder collaborations are needed to support the independence, safety, and quality of life of older adults who wish to age in place. Further research is warranted in suburban and rural areas to explore socioeconomic factors and determinants of indoor mobility.
预计到2050年全球人口将翻倍，大多数老年人表示倾向于居家养老。尽管存在这种人口结构变化，但直接影响独立性、安全性和生活质量的室内移动性挑战仍未得到充分研究，这为有效干预措施的开发造成了关键的知识空白。
对四个数据库从创建到2024年9月进行了系统的文献检索。纳入标准包括：（1）年龄在60岁及以上的参与者；（2）是关于自我报告的室内移动性挑战的原始数据；（3）以英文发表。两名评审员独立进行数据提取，使用纽卡斯尔渥太华量表（用于横断面研究）或乔安娜·布里格斯研究所清单（用于定性研究）评估纳入文章的偏倚风险和质量。通过持续比较分析的主题综合确定了关键的移动性限制因素。
确定了9项研究，涉及1833名参与者。老年人报告了四个主要的室内移动性挑战：易疲劳、平衡能力差、家庭环境障碍、力量下降和肢体无力。这些限制导致耐力下降，即使在室内环境中也是如此。各种健康状况的存在进一步损害了他们的移动性和健康居家养老的能力。
为了支持居家养老，可以考虑进行全面的环境评估和家庭改造。需要多方利益相关者合作，以支持希望居家养老的老年人的独立性、安全性和生活质量。有必要在郊区和农村地区开展进一步研究，以探索社会经济因素和室内移动性的决定因素。
