Abstract
Key summary pointsAimTo investigate if health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is associated with physical function in older adults with or at risk of mobility disability after hospital discharge.FindingsBetter physical function (SPPB) was significantly associated with a higher level of physical HRQOL (SF-36 subscales physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain and general health).MessageThe positive associations between physical function and physical HRQOL might indicate that the exercise interventions aiming to improve physical function might also improve physical HRQOL in this group of older adults.
Highlights
Physical function is a broad, multidimensional concept that was defined by Garber et al [1] as ‘the capacity of an individual to carry out the physical activities of daily living
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study exploring the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and physical function in older adults with or at risk of mobility disability after discharge from hospital
The results indicate that a higher score on Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) is associated with a better score on physical HRQOL
Summary
Physical function is a broad, multidimensional concept that was defined by Garber et al [1] as ‘the capacity of an individual to carry out the physical activities of daily living. Older adults who have been hospitalised often experience a decline in physical function in the postdischarge period [3, 4]. People with lower physical functions are especially at risk of decline [5, 6]. Guralnik et al [7] tested the physical function of more than 4500 community-dwelling older adults using a follow-up assessment of mobility-related disability one–six years later; in the study, the authors defined mobility-related disability as the inability to walk 0.5 miles (805 m) or climb stairs without help, and physical function was measured using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) [8]. An SPPB score ≤ 9 was used as the cut-off to identify older adults with or at risk of mobility disability
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