Abstract
Objective
To examine physical activity and its spatial context after geriatric rehabilitation and to identify determinants of out-of-home activity in older adults with cognitive impairment.
Design
Cross-sectional observational study.
Setting
Community, following discharge from geriatric rehabilitation.
Participants
113 geriatric patients (mean age 82.1 ± 6.0 years; 76.1% female) with cognitive impairment following geriatric rehabilitation.
Main Measures
Physical activity was assessed over 48 h using a body-worn accelerometer (PamSys®) and location-based tracking derived from the Global Positioning System (Qstarz BT-Q1000XT). Group differences between participants with and without out-of-home activity were analysed. Multivariable logistic regression identified predictors across physical, psycho-social, cognitive, environmental, financial, and personal domains.
Results
Only 36 (31.9%) of the 113 participants (82.1 ± 6.0 years; 76.1% female) left their homes. Those with out-of-home activity accumulated significantly more daily steps, walking episodes, active time, and less sedentary time than those staying in-home (all p < .01). Receiver operating characteristic analyses identified thresholds of 2140 steps/day (area under the curve 0.81) and 29.6 s mean walking episode duration (area under the curve 0.73) for discriminating between participants with and without out-of-home activity. Physical capacity (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02–1.65) and cognitive function (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.02–1.62) were independent predictors of out-of-home activity.
Conclusion
Out-of-home activity is infrequent after rehabilitation in older adults with cognitive impairment and closely reflects overall physical activity. It may serve as a practical marker of mobility and highlights the need for targeted interventions to support community mobility during this vulnerable phase.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
