Physical Activity, Disablement, and Quality of Life in Long-Term Care Residents: A Feasibility Study

86 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008.In an effort to address the need for more research on older adults in residential care facilities this study proposes to examine the feasibility of recruiting, encouraging compliance, and obtaining reliable data among this population. Secondly, to address the ambiguity surrounding disablement and QOL in older adults, this feasibility study will examine the relationships between psychosocial constructs and physical activity, disability, and QOL. 106 older women and men residing in nine assistive and four independent care facilities completed measures of physical activity, self-efficacy relative to balance and function, functional limitations and disability, importance of physical function, and quality of life. Participants also wore an accelerometer for 7 days and completed a series of functional performance tasks from the short physical performance battery (SPPB). Demographics, mental health status, and general health information were also collected. A path model within a covariance modeling framework was used to analyze the data. Analyses indicated that physical activity had significant direct effects on self-efficacy. Both physical activity and self-efficacy were significantly associated with functional performance. Self-efficacy and functional performance were significantly associated with functional limitations. Only self-efficacy was significantly associated with disability, and the path from disability to quality of life was significant. No effects were reported for importance of physical function. Results from this study support the role of self-efficacy in the relationships between physical activity, physical function, and quality of life. This study also suggests that residents in long-term care facilities are able and willing to participate in studies of health and aging. Further research into the determinants of disability is warranted, as are studies to identify strategies to enhance physical activity and self-efficacy in this population.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD