title: Higher levels of mobility are associated with greater societal participation and better quality-of-life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Participation rates and quality-of-life (QoL) have been a major focus of rehabilitation programmes and outcome studies following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The extent to which mobility limitations impact on participation rates and QoL has not been thoroughly explored. The main aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mobility limitations, participation rates and QoL following TBI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine people who had sustained an extremely severe TBI were recruited from a major rehabilitation facility. Mobility was quantified using the high-level mobility assessment tool (HiMAT). The Brain Injury Community Rehabilitation Outcome (BICRO-39) and Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) were used to measure participation rates and the shorter version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL-BREF) and Assessment of Quality-of-Life (AQoL-2) were used to measure QoL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mobility was most strongly correlated with the total BICRO-39 score (r = -0.60, p < 0.001) and the mobility domain (r = -0.59, p < 0.001) of the BICRO-39. Although mobility had a significant relationship with health-related QoL, AQoL-2 (r = 0.60, p < 0.001), it was most strongly related to the AQoL-2 independent living domain (r = 0.79, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater capacity to mobilize was associated with higher participation rates and better QoL.
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Department, Epworth Hospital, Richmond, Victoria, Australia. gavin.williams@epworth.org.au
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Willmott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult