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 .
Association of visual impairment with mobility and physical function.
OBJECTIVE To examine the association of distant vision and physical function in the population of older adults . DESIGN Cross-sectional and cohort study . PARTICIPANTS 5143 older residents of three communities ( Established Population s for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly ) who were interviewed in 1988 - 89 , including residents of two communities who were re-interviewed 15 months later ( n = 3133 , 97 % of those eligible ) . MEASURES  Visual acuity screening , self-reported activities of daily living and mobility , and objective physical performance measures of balance , walking , and rising from a chair .  RESULTS Limitations in mobility , activities of daily living , and physical performance were associated with worse visual function . In prospect i ve analyses controlling for potential confounders , participants with severe visual impairment had 3-fold higher odds of incident mobility and activity of daily living limitations than those with acuity of 20/40 or better ( P < 0.001 ) . In prospect i ve analyses investigating the relationship of vision with improvement in function , those with poor vision were about half as likely to improve as those with better acuity , but this relationship was only statistically significant for improvement in mobility limitations . CONCLUSIONS Distant visual function appears to play an important role in physical function , particularly for mobility . An intervention to improve vision  in at-risk elders might preserve function and prevent disability ; this warrants further investigation
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 .