Incident preclinical mobility disability (PCMD) increases future risk of new difficulty walking and reduction in walking activity

Purpose: This study examines whether and how report of a change in walking behavior, incident PCMD, predicts subsequent reduction in walking activity.

Materials and methods: Data are from a prospective study of 436 community-dwelling women age 70-79 years. Outcome measures include subjective and objective measures of walking ability at 3 years.

Principal results: Incident PCMD is associated with the loss of walking abilities at 3-years, regardless of baseline physical impairment. Compared to women without, women with incident PCMD at 1.5 years after baseline were 2.7 (95%CI 1.4-7.2) times more likely to report that they no longer walk outdoors at least 8 blocks and 4.9 (1.9-13.1) times more likely to report new difficulty walking. Incident PCMD was also associated with declines in objective outcomes. Incident PCMD is an independent marker of subsequent decreased walking activity.

Major conclusions: Incident PCMD appears to be a target for programs to prevent declines in walking activity in older adults.