Table 1 Community Ambulation model – items proposed for initial models
Latent factor | Variable | Label on models | Original sourcea | Scoring meaning | Description or question wording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ambulation | Moving outside of bedroom- helpb | Room aid | LSI | Higher score = less use of assistance 4 categories | “Did you use aids or equipment, or need help from another person to get to other rooms of your home besides the room where you sleep?” (Combined with Y/N- have you been to other rooms…) |
Moving outside of bedroom- frequencyb | Room freq | LSI | Higher score = more frequent 5 categories | “How often did you get to other rooms of your home besides the room where you sleep?” (Combined with Y/N) | |
Moving outside of home - help | Out aid | LSI | Higher score = less use of assistance 4 categories | “Did you use aids or equipment, or need help from another person to get to an area outside your home such as your porch, deck or patio, hallway (of an apartment building) or garage, in your own yard or driveway?” (Combined with Y/N) | |
Moving outside of home - frequency | Out freq | LSI | Higher score = more frequent 5 categories | “How often did you get to an area outside your home such as your porch, deck or patio, hallway (of an apartment building) or garage, in your own yard or driveway?” (Combined with Y/N) | |
Moving in neighbourhood - help | Neighbourhood aid | LSI | Higher score = less use of assistance 4 categories | “Did you use aids or equipment, or need help from another person to get to places in your neighbourhood, other than your own yard or apartment building?” (Combined with Y/N) | |
Moving in neighbourhood - frequency | Neighbourhood freq | LSI | Higher score = more frequent 5 categories | “How often did you get to places in your neighbourhood, other than your own yard or apartment building?” (Combined with Y/N) | |
Moving in town - help | Town aid | LSI | Higher score = less use of assistance 4 categories | “Did you use aids or equipment, or need help from another person to get to places outside your neighbourhood, but within your town?” (Combined with Y/N) | |
Moving in town - frequency | Town freq | LSI | Higher score = more frequent 5 categories | “How often did you get to places outside your neighbourhood, but within your town?” (Combined with Y/N) | |
Walking ability | Walk help | OARS (walking ability) | Higher score = no help 2 categories | Able to walk with help, or able to walk without help. Help = help of a person or mobility aid (Combined variables of walking aids required plus walking ability) | |
Walking outdoors frequency | Walk outdoors | PASE | Higher score = more frequently walking outdoors 4 categories | “Over the past 7 days, how often did you take a walk outside your home or yard for any reason? For example, for pleasure or exercise, walking to work, walking the dog, etc.” | |
Walking endurance | Endurance | PASE | Higher score = more walking 6 categories | Hours per day spent walking | |
Health perception | General health | Gen health | Higher score = higher self-rated health 5 categories | “In general, would you say your health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?” | |
Pain preventing activities | Pain prevent | Higher score = less activities prevented by pain 4 categories | “How many activities does your pain or discomfort prevent? Would you say none, a few, some, or most?” | ||
Pain intensity | Pain intensity | Higher score = less pain 4 categories | “How would you describe the usual intensity of your pain or discomfort? Would you say it is mild, moderate, or severe?” combined with “Are you usually free of pain or discomfort?” | ||
Timed Functional mobility | Gait speed | Gait speed | Four-metre Walk Test | Higher score = faster continuous | Time to walk 4 m expressed as gait speed (metres/second) Contraindication - unable to stand or walk without the assistance of another person |
Functional speed | TUG | Timed Up and Go | Higher score = slower, less independent continuous | Total time in seconds required to stand up, walk 3 m, turn around and sit back down - Timed Up and Go test (in seconds) Contraindications - unable to stand without the assistance of another person, unable to rise from a chair without the assistance of another person, unable to walk without the assistance of another person | |
Standing up - Leg strength | STS | Chair Rise | Higher score = slower, more difficult continuous | Total time required to completely stand up and sit down from chair 5 times (in seconds) Contraindication - unable to stand or rise from a chair unassisted | |
Balance | Balance | Standing balance test | Higher score = better balance continuous | Best attained time for standing on one leg (in seconds) Contraindication - unable to stand unassisted | |
Environment | Fear in walking alone after darkc | Fear | HRS | Higher score = lower fear 4 categories | Response to “People would be afraid to walk alone after dark in this area” |
Living in urban or rural settingd | Urban | 2 categories | Five urban classifications combined as ‘urban’ and one rural category | ||
Covariates in structural model: | Depression frequency | Depression | CES-D 10 | Higher score, higher depression 4 categories | “How often did you feel depressed?” (in the last week) |
Sex | Sex | 0 – Female 1 - Male | Sex | ||
Age | Age | 74–86 65–74 55–64 45–54 | Age groups by 10 year age groups | ||
Frequency of falls | Falls | 0–20 continuous | Number of Falls in past 12 months |