IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/eujoag/v15y2018i1d10.1007_s10433-017-0434-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cognitive functioning is more closely related to real-life mobility than to laboratory-based mobility parameters

Author

Listed:
  • Eleftheria Giannouli

    (German Sport University Cologne)

  • Otmar Bock

    (German Sport University Cologne)

  • Wiebren Zijlstra

    (German Sport University Cologne)

Abstract

Increasing evidence indicates that mobility depends on cognitive resources, but the exact relationships between various cognitive functions and different mobility parameters still need to be investigated. This study examines the hypothesis that cognitive functioning is more closely related to real-life mobility performance than to mobility capacity as measured with standardized laboratory tests. The final sample used for analysis consisted of 66 older adults (72.3 ± 5.6 years). Cognition was assessed by measures of planning (HOTAP test), spatial working memory (Grid-Span test) and visuospatial attention (Attention Window test). Mobility capacity was assessed by an instrumented version of the Timed Up-and-Go test (iTUG). Mobility performance was assessed with smartphones which collected accelerometer and GPS data over one week to determine the spatial extent and temporal duration of real-life activities. Data analyses involved an exploratory factor analysis and correlation analyses. Mobility measures were reduced to four orthogonal factors: the factor ‘real-life mobility’ correlated significantly with most cognitive measures (between r = .229 and r = .396); factors representing ‘sit-to-stand transition’ and ‘turn’ correlated with fewer cognitive measures (between r = .271 and r = .315 and between r = .210 and r = .316, respectively), and the factor representing straight gait correlated with only one cognitive measure (r = .237). Among the cognitive functions tested, visuospatial attention was associated with most mobility measures, executive functions with fewer and spatial working memory with only one mobility measure. Capacity and real-life performance represent different aspects of mobility. Real-life mobility is more closely associated with cognition than mobility capacity, and in our data this association is most pronounced for visuospatial attention. The close link between real-life mobility and visuospatial attention should be considered by interventions targeting mobility in old age.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleftheria Giannouli & Otmar Bock & Wiebren Zijlstra, 2018. "Cognitive functioning is more closely related to real-life mobility than to laboratory-based mobility parameters," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 57-65, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:15:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-017-0434-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-017-0434-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10433-017-0434-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10433-017-0434-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rob C van Lummel & Stefan Walgaard & Mirjam Pijnappels & Petra J M Elders & Judith Garcia-Aymerich & Jaap H van Dieën & Peter J Beek, 2015. "Physical Performance and Physical Activity in Older Adults: Associated but Separate Domains of Physical Function in Old Age," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Stefanie Hüttermann & Daniel Memmert & Daniel J Simons & Otmar Bock, 2013. "Fixation Strategy Influences the Ability to Focus Attention on Two Spatially Separate Objects," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(6), pages 1-8, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Julia Seinsche & Wiebren Zijlstra & Eleftheria Giannouli, 2020. "Motility in Frail Older Adults: Operationalization of a New Framework and First Insights into Its Relationship with Physical Activity and Life-Space Mobility: An Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Fillekes, Michelle Pasquale & Röcke, Christina & Katana, Marko & Weibel, Robert, 2019. "Self-reported versus GPS-derived indicators of daily mobility in a sample of healthy older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 193-202.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Julia Seinsche & Wiebren Zijlstra & Eleftheria Giannouli, 2020. "Motility in Frail Older Adults: Operationalization of a New Framework and First Insights into Its Relationship with Physical Activity and Life-Space Mobility: An Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Heikki Hurri & Toni Vänni & Elli Muttonen & Fabrizio Russo & Sergio Iavicoli & Leena Ristolainen, 2023. "Functional Tests Predicting Return to Work of Workers with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: Are There Any Validated and Usable Functional Tests for Occupational Health Services in Everyday Practice? A Syst," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-16, March.
    3. Stefanie Hüttermann & Benjamin Noël & Daniel Memmert, 2017. "Evaluating erroneous offside calls in soccer," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-11, March.
    4. Carina Kreitz & Philip Furley & Daniel Memmert & Daniel J Simons, 2015. "Inattentional Blindness and Individual Differences in Cognitive Abilities," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(8), pages 1-27, August.
    5. Dawid Koźlenia & Jarosław Domaradzki, 2021. "The Impact of Physical Performance on Functional Movement Screen Scores and Asymmetries in Female University Physical Education Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-11, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:15:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-017-0434-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.