Life-space mobility in the Canadian Longitudinal Study On Aging

Mobility decline is often assessed in structured settings, using physical performance measures that can be limited in capturing the holistic nature of mobility. The Life-Space Assessment (LSA) was developed to account for the numerous factors that influence mobility in everyday life. Research has shown that limited life-space mobility in older adults is associated with decreased quality of life, increased morbidity, and increased mortality. However, reference data for the LSA and an assessment of its measurement properties are not available for Canada. This project aims to establish reference values and assess the measurement properties of the LSA in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). This will help clinicians and researchers to interpret, compare, and make inferences on scores obtained in clinical and research settings, and encourage the use of the LSA.