Associations of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) with Adverse Health Outcomes in Older Adults: A 14-Year Follow-Up from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)

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Abstract

The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) is an objective tool for evaluating three domains (balance, repeated chair stands, and gait speed) of lower extremity physical function in older age. It is unclear how the associations between SPPB scores and health outcomes persist over time. The aim of this 14-year cohort study was to investigate associations between SPPB scores and health outcomes among participants aged 60+ years in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). The exposures were SPPB scores (total and domain-specific) at baseline (Wave 2). The outcomes were mobility impairments, difficulties in performing basic activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and falls, measured at seven subsequent timepoints (Waves 3 to 9). The analyses involved linear and logistic multilevel regressions. After adjusting for potential confounders, a one-point increase in the total SPPB score was associated with a 0.13 (95% CI: −0.16, −0.10) decrease in mobility impairment, a 0.06 (−0.08, −0.05) decrease in ADL disabilities, a 0.06 (−0.07, −0.04) decrease in IADL disabilities, and 8% (0.90, 0.95) lower odds of falling (averaged across all follow-ups). Associations between the SPPB domains and health outcomes were more varied. The SPPB may be a useful measure for identifying older adults at a high risk of adverse outcomes.
Original languageEnglish
Article number16319
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume19
Issue number23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.

Funding

ELSA is funded by the National Institute on Aging (R01AG017644), and by UK Government Departments coordinated by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). This research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, grant number ES/P000630/1.

FundersFunder number
National Institute on AgingR01AG017644
Economic and Social Research CouncilES/P000630/1
National Institute for Health and Care Research

Keywords

  • ELSA
  • SPPB
  • ageing
  • disability
  • falls
  • health
  • mobility
  • older adults
  • physical function
  • physical performance

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pollution
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

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