title: The MAT-sf: identifying risk for major mobility disability.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The assessment of mobility is essential to both aging research and clinical geriatric practice. A newly developed self-report measure of mobility, the mobility assessment tool-short form (MAT-sf), uses video animations as an innovative method to improve measurement accuracy/precision. The primary aim of the current study was to evaluate whether MAT-sf scores can be used to identify risk for major mobility disability (MMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  This article is based on data collected from the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders study and involved 1,574 older adults between the ages of 70-89. The MAT-sf was administered at baseline; MMD, operationalized as failure to complete the 400-m walk ≤ 15 minutes, was evaluated at 6-month intervals across a period of 42 months. The outcome of interest was the first occurrence of MMD or incident MMD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After controlling for age, sex, clinic site, and treatment arm, baseline MAT-sf scores were found to be effective in identifying risk for MMD (p < .0001). Partitioning the MAT-sf into four groups revealed that persons with scores <40, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+ had failure rates across 42 months of follow-up of 66%, 52%, 35%, and 22%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MAT-sf is a quick and efficient way of identifying older adults at risk for MMD. It could be used to clinically identify older adults that are in need of intervention for MMD and provides a simple means for monitoring the status of patients' mobility, an important dimension of functional health.
authors: Department of Health & Exercise Science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. rejeski@wfu.edu.
authors: W Jack
authors: WJ
authors: Rejeski
authors: Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Rushing
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
authors: Jack M
authors: JM
authors: Guralnik
authors: Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors: Edward H
authors: EH
authors: Ip
authors: Department of Health Research and Policy and the Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, California.
authors: Abby C
authors: AC
authors: King
authors: Department of Aging & Geriatric Research, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville.
authors: Todd M
authors: TM
authors: Manini
authors: Department of Health & Exercise Science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors: Anthony P
authors: AP
authors: Marsh
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Mary M
authors: MM
authors: McDermott
authors: Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, and Sarcopenia Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Roger A
authors: RA
authors: Fielding
authors: Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors: Anne B
authors: AB
authors: Newman
authors: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
authors: Catrine
authors: C
authors: Tudor-Locke
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors: Thomas M
authors: TM
authors: Gill
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D057566:Self Report; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Geriatric assessment; LIFE study; MAT-sf; Mobility disability; Physical function.