ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VISUOSPATIAL ABILITY, GAIT, AND FUNCTION IN OLDER SURVIVORS OF BREAST CANCER

Abstract

Abstract Research has highlighted the relationship between impaired cognitive function and physical mobility measures in older adults. This relationship may also exist in older survivors of breast cancer, however, specific cognitive domains like executive function or visuospatial ability may influence physical mobility. The purpose of this study is to describe associations between cognitive function and mobility in a group of community-dwelling older females with a history of breast cancer. Cross-sectional data of performance on cognitive and physical mobility measures from 38 older adults with a history of breast cancer were analyzed. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to examine relationships between measures. Significant inverse relationships were found between TMT-A and usual gait speed (r = -.662, p<.001), fast gait speed (r = -.409, p = .012), and dual-task gait speed (r = -.631, p<.001), suggesting that as visuospatial ability became more impaired, gait speed decreased. Significant relationships were found between TMT-A and performance on the TUG (r = .664, p<.001), TUG-cognitive (r = .635, p<.001), and TUG-manual (r = .653, p<.001). Results indicate that visuospatial ability, as measured with the TMT-A, is associated with physical mobility measures in older survivors of breast cancer. While previous research has reported impairments in executive function in this population, impaired visuospatial ability may also play a role, suggesting that clinicians should include a visuospatial task when working on improving gait in older survivors of breast cancer.