title: Functional mobility and its contributing factors for older adults in different cities in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Impaired mobility is one of the primary causes of declined functional capacity in old age. The timed up-and-go test (TUG), a common mobility test, has been studied extensively in Western countries. The purposes of this study were to compare and identify factors associated with TUG performance in older adults with impaired mobility and living in different cities in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Older adults living in Taipei, Tainan, and Niaosong cities were screened for mobility impairments and then recruited. A series of questionnaires and physical and functional tests were used to obtain information and measurements for potential contributing factors and TUG. Regression analysis was conducted to determine factors contributing to TUG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 413 older adults participated in the study. The mean TUG was 14.3 seconds for participants across the three cities, and was significantly shorter in Tainan. Age, number of medications, fear of falling, depression, high intensity activity time, reaction time, single leg stance time, and functional reach distance were found to have significant contribution. These factors accounted for approximately half of the variance in TUG. The regression equations were not equal for the different cities, with depression being the only common determinant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taiwanese older adults with mobility problems living in different cities performed differently in TUG and the contributing factors were also different. These findings indicate a need of further studies examining older adults in different environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Sang-I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsuei-Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ku-Chou
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Ching
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: jytsauo@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Jau-Yih
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Tsauo
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002947:Cities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004777:Environment; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan
keywords: aging; environment; functional capacity; mobility; sensorimotor function