Date Presented 04/04/19
This study seeks to advance practice by articulating the importance of community-based occupational participation (CMP) on health and well-being. The study was designed in direct response to AOTA's call for research, articulating community mobility's impact on health and QOL.
Primary Author and Speaker: Claire Mulry
Additional Authors and Speakers: Giselle Rivera, Kristopher Musini, Alex Rankin, Marissa Astorini
PURPOSE: This study explored the relationship between community mobility (CM), health status (HS), and quality of life (QOL) in older adults. Community mobility supports independence, occupational engagement, promotes active aging, and is essential for health. The 75 million Americans that make up the baby boomer generation have a greater life expectancy and many will age with chronic illness. The health, wellness and quality of life of older adults has significant national healthcare and economic implications and it is vital that we examine the impact of community based occupational participation on health as a public health issue and to disseminate the importance of occupational participation.
METHOD: An exploratory correlational study was conducted with 120 older adults across four diverse settings– including a place of faith, a senior center, a federally subsidized housing complex, and assisted living facilities. The Community Mobility, Health Status, and Quality of Life Survey was created for this study and used to capture frequency of CM, perception and satisfaction with health and QOL. Spearman’s coefficient was used to explore correlation between all combinations CM, HS, and QOL.
RESULTS: A high correlation (rs=0.639) was found between satisfaction with CM and HS, while a low correlation (rs=0.248) was found between frequency of CM and HS. A high correlation (rs=0.742) was found between satisfaction with CM and QOL, while a low correlation (rs=0.348) was found between frequency of CM and QOL. The highest correlation found (rs=0.826) was between HS and QOL.
CONCLUSION: Older adults satisfaction with their ability to access the community and engage in personally meaningful activities may have a stronger impact on HS and QOL than the frequency of community mobility alone. Understanding these differences may impact community mobility programming and guide clinicians in providing better client care. This study is in response to AOTA's call for more research on community mobility's impact on health and QOL.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2016). Driving and community mobility. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(Suppl. 2), 7012410050. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2016.706S04
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Healthy Aging in Action: Advancing the National Prevention Strategy 2016. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services; 2016
Papageorgiou, N., Marquis, R., Dare, J., & Batten, R. (2016). Occupational Therapy and Occupational Participation in Community Dwelling Older Adults: A Review of the Evidence. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics, 34(1), 21-42.
Stav, W. B. (2014). Updated systematic review on older adult community mobility and driver licensing policies. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(6), 686.
