Commonly measured constructs of mobility included walking , climbing stairs , and lower extremity function .
There was heterogeneity in ways of defining and measuring mobility limitation in older adults living in the community .
Mobility is critical in maintaining independence in older adults .
This study aims to systematic ally review the scientific literature to identify measures of mobility limitation for community-dwelling older adults .
Benzodiazepine use and physical disability in community-dwelling older adults.
OBJECTIVES To determine whether benzodiazepine use is associated with incident disability in mobility and activities of daily living ( ADLs ) in older individuals . DESIGN A prospect i ve cohort study . SETTING Four sites of the Established Population s for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly . PARTICIPANTS This study included 9,093 subjects ( aged > or = 65 ) who were not disabled in mobility or ADLs at baseline . MEASUREMENTS Mobility disability was defined as inability to walk half a mile or climb one flight of stairs . ADL disability was defined as inability to perform one or more basic ADLs ( bathing , eating , dressing , transferring from a bed to a chair , using the toilet , or walking across a small room ) . Trained interviewers assessed outcomes annually . RESULTS At baseline , 5.5 % of subjects reported benzodiazepine use . In multivariable models , benzodiazepine users were 1.23 times as likely as nonusers ( 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) = 1.09 - 1.39 ) to develop mobility disability and 1.28 times as likely ( 95 % CI = 1.09 - 1.52 ) to develop ADL disability . Risk for incident mobility was increased with short- ( hazard ratio ( HR ) = 1.27 , 95 % CI = 1.08 - 1.50 ) and long-acting benzodiazepines ( HR = 1.20 , 95 % CI = 1.03 - 1.39 ) and no use . Risk for ADL disability was greater with short- ( HR = 1.58 , 95 % CI = 1.25 - 2.01 ) but not long-acting ( HR = 1.11 , 95 % CI = 0.89 - 1.39 ) agents than for no use . CONCLUSION Older adults taking benzodiazepines  have a greater risk for incident mobility and ADL disability . Use of short-acting agents does not appear to confer any safety benefits over long-acting agents
Commonly measured constructs of mobility included walking , climbing stairs , and lower extremity function .
There was heterogeneity in ways of defining and measuring mobility limitation in older adults living in the community .
Mobility is critical in maintaining independence in older adults .
This study aims to systematic ally review the scientific literature to identify measures of mobility limitation for community-dwelling older adults .