Initial validation of the university of Alabama Birmingham study of aging life-space assessment in older adults with multiple sclerosis

Background: Older adults with multiple sclerosis (OAMS) have declines in walking and physical performance that may erode community mobility defined as the spatial extent of mobility in one's daily life and environment. Objective: This study provided the first application and validation of the University of Alabama Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment (UAB LSA) as a measure of community mobility in OAMS. Methods: The sample included 97 OAMS and 108 healthy controls (HCs) who completed baseline assessments as part of an ongoing, longitudinal study. The primary assessments included the UAB LSA and timed 25-foot walk (T25FW), short physical performance battery (SPPB), global health score (GHS), and geriatric depression scale (GDS) in both OAMS and HCs, and patient determined disease steps (PDDS) scale in only OAMS. Results: OAMS had significantly lower UAB LSA scores than HCs (p < .001). UAB LSA scores had strong correlations with T25FW(r_s = –.641) and SPPB(r_s = 0.507) in OAMS, and moderate correlations in HCs (r_s = –.300 & r_s = 0.384). The correlations between UAB LSA and GHS and GDS scores were significant, but small in OAMS (r_s = –.239 & r_s = –.231), and not statistically significant in HCs (r_s = –.009 & r_s = –.166). There was a strong correlation between UAB LSA and PDDS scores in the OAMS sample (r_s = –.605). Conclusion: We provided initial evidence for UAB LSA scores as a measure of community mobility in OAMS.