Abstract
BackgroundThe population prevalence of many diseases is known. However, little is known of the population prevalence of motor impairments.MethodsThe aim of this study was to determine the point prevalence of specific motor impairments (weakness, fatigue, contracture, impaired balance and impaired coordination) in the population aged 55 years and older resident in New South Wales, Australia in 2018. 55,210 members of the 45 and Up cohort were invited to participate in a follow-up survey that included questions on motor impairment. Responses were received from 20,141 people (36%). Calibrated estimates of prevalence of specific motor impairments, and of having at least one motor impairment, were obtained using survey weights based on the known multivariate distributions of age, gender and geographical location (28 regions) in the population.ResultsMore than one-third of adults aged over 55 residing in New South Wales have difficulty using their hands, arms or legs. The prevalence of each motor impairment (muscle weakness, fatigue, contracture, impaired balance or impaired coordination) in this population is between 4 and 12%. The prevalence of at least one of these impairments is 21%. The prevalence of at least one impairment in people aged 85 and over is 42%. Women consistently had more difficulty using hands, arms and legs, and more motor impairment, than men. Difficulty using hands, arms and legs and the prevalence of all motor impairments, especially poor balance, greatly increased with age.ConclusionThe prevalence of specific motor impairments in older Australian adults is high - comparable to that of the most prevalent diseases. There may be merit in considering motor impairment as a significant public health problem in its own right.
Highlights
The population prevalence of many diseases is known
This study focuses on five motor impairments: muscle weakness, fatigue, contracture, impaired balance and impaired coordination
The 45 and Up cohort was assembled between 2006 and 2009 by sending invitations to New South Wales residents aged 45 and over who were randomly sampled from the Department of Human Services (Medicare Australia) enrolment database [18]
Summary
The population prevalence of many diseases is known. Little is known of the population prevalence of motor impairments. Studies of disease prevalence contribute to quantification of disease burden [1]. The current study is concerned with the prevalence of motor impairments instead of the prevalence of disease. This study focuses on five motor impairments: muscle weakness, fatigue, contracture, impaired balance and impaired coordination. Fatigue is a complex motor impairment because it includes both a reduction in the capacity of a muscle to produce force during sustained motor tasks and an increased sense of effort, exhaustion or weariness [2]. Impaired balance is complex because it can reflect peripheral failure or failure of multisensory integration and high level executive functions [3]
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