title: Developing a framework and priorities to promote mobility among older adults.
abstract: Mobility, broadly defined as movement in all of its forms from ambulation to transportation, is critical to supporting optimal aging. This article describes two projects to develop a framework and a set of priority actions designed to promote mobility among community-dwelling older adults. Project 1 involved a concept-mapping process to solicit and organize action items into domains from a broad group of stakeholders to create the framework. Concept mapping uses qualitative group processes with multivariate statistical analysis to represent the ideas visually through maps. A snowball technique was used to identify stakeholders (n = 211). A 12-member steering committee developed a focus prompt, "One specific action that can lead to positive change in mobility for older adults in the United States is..." Project 2 included a Delphi technique (n = 43) with three iterations to prioritize four to six items using results from the concept mapping rating process. Project 1 resulted in 102 items across nine domains (Research to Practice, Independence and Engagement, Built Environment and Safety, Transportation, Policy, Housing and Accessibility, Community Supports, Training, and Coordinated Action). The number of items ranged from 6 to 18 per domain. Project 2 resulted in agreement on four items that reflect the importance of promoting environmental strategies through collaborative initiatives aimed at planning and best practices focusing on environmental enhancements or transit, training of professionals, and integration of mobility into state and local public health plans. These findings can be applied to support coordinated, multidisciplinary research and practice to promote mobility among older adults.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA laa0@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Lynda A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: AARP, Washington DC, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Slonim
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Irene H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.affiliation: West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
authors.forename: Dina L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Peg
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, USA.
authors.forename: R Turner
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Goins
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Leith
authors.affiliation: Group Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Dori
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Satariano
authors.affiliation: National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McPhillips-Tangum
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012112:Residential Facilities
keywords: Delphi; concept mapping; environmental strategies; health education; mobility; older adults