| | Topic Area | Recommendations |
| | (1) Prevalence of physical activity among older populations with mobility disability | (i) Define mobility disability and employ standard definition across sectors and research studies. Include specific categories of disability (e.g., mobility disability, sensory disability) in surveillance
(ii) Conduct studies on best means for measuring physical activity among persons aging with mobility disability, including objective (pedometers, accelerometers) and subjective measures
(iii) Incorporate newer technologies to better understand physical activity patterns among persons aging with mobility disability (Global Positioning Systems; home-based sensors) |
| | (2) Health benefits of physical activity and consequences of sedentary behavior in older adults with mobility disability | (i) Conduct research on ways physical activity benefits persons with mobility disabilities as they age, including larger samples, more rigorous methods, and prospective studies
(ii) Conduct studies that use the same measurement tools, capture data on frequency, intensity, duration, and modality of exercise so that recommendations for people with mobility disability can be developed
(iii) Include understudied health outcomes such as weight status, mental health, and cognitive functioning
(iv) Examine the effects of sedentary behaviors among those aging with mobility disability
(v) In rehabilitation-oriented, supervised or structured physical activity interventions, include explicit measurement of physical activity among populations with mobility disability (versus assessment of only ability) |
| | (3) Correlates and determinants of physical activity participation among older adults with mobility disability | (i) Expand studies on the correlates of physical activity participation in this population to include demographic, societal, mental health, and built environment variables
(ii) Develop measures of individual, social, and environmental facilitators and barriers of physical activity common among persons aging with mobility disability
(iii) Conduct studies that include both specific disability groups (e.g., aging with spinal cord injury) and broader groups with the same activity limitation (e.g., aging with mobility disability) |
| | (4) Interventions to promote physical activity in older populations with mobility disability | (i) Develop and test interventions that use multilevel approaches (which aim to target individual, interpersonal, and built environment factors) to promote physical activity among persons with mobility disability
(ii) Interventions should address symptoms such as pain, depression, and fatigue that are common among persons aging with mobility disability and that are barriers to being physically active
(iii) Conduct technology-based interventions (e.g., using Web-based approaches, exergames, feedback from GPS and other technologies) to promote physical activity
(iv) Conduct studies assessing the effectiveness of lifestyle-based, lower intensity activity programs that address features of the home design and built environment in conjunction with structured programs
(v) Develop community-based physical activity programs for persons aging with mobility disability
(vi) Further develop and continue policies and funding at the local, regional, and national level to support evidence-based environmental enhancements and universal design |
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